“Transparent” Near-to-Eye Displays

Ron Mertens of OLED-Info, MicroLED-Info, the MicroLED Association, and one of the organizers of MicroLED & AR/VR Connect asked for my input on “Why is there no 'simple' solution, where we place a transparent display in front of the user [for AR]?” Or more simply, why aren’t ‘transparent’ OLEDs/MicroLEDs being used in optical-see-through (OST) AR headsets?

I ended up writing a rather long response to Ron, and he wanted to publish it on his OLED-Info Pro (paid subscription (link: https://www.oled-info.com/karl-guttag-transparent-ar-displays-article). I agreed on the condition that I put a summary on this blog.

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Voices of VR Interview 2023 & MicroLED-AR/VR Connect Conference 2025

I'm to be very busy in September, including traveling to and speaking at the MicroLED and AR/VR Connect conference in Eindhoven, Netherlands, from September 23rd to 25th. If you would like to meet with me in Eindhoven, please send a meeting request to meet@kgontech.com.

I also want to let you know about an interview I did with The Voices of VR Podcast at AWE 2023, which was released on August 2, 2025.

Read MoreVoices of VR Interview 2023 & MicroLED-AR/VR Connect Conference 2025

TMS9918, The First Sprite Chip – Presentation at VCF SouthWest

Last week, I gave a presentation at The Vintage Computer Festival Southwest (VCF SouthWest) about the development of the TMS9918 (and related devices), which I helped define, design, simulate, and debug from September 1977 through mid-1978. In addition to the presentation, I participated in a one-hour question-and-answer session hosted by Matthew Hagarty. Matthew has developed a series of FPGA-based 9918 emulators, the latest of which is pin-compatible except for providing R, G, and B output rather than composite video.

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Exclusive – Playnitride Single Chip Full Color MicroLED & Lumus Waveguide with a “Fantasically Tiny Projector”

Several technology demonstrations stood out to me at Display Week (DW) 2025. This article will cover Playnitride's Quantum Dot (QD) based full-color MicroLED, combined with Lumus's geometric (also known as reflective waveguide) technology.

As I wrote in may last article, Lumus showed me a "fantastically tiny projector" connected to their waveguide.

Read MoreExclusive – Playnitride Single Chip Full Color MicroLED & Lumus Waveguide with a “Fantasically Tiny Projector”

Exclusive: Rivet Industries Using Lumus Waveguides for Military & Industrial AR

Rivet Industries was founded in 2024 by people that worked on Microsoft Hololens. In looking at their website, I discovered that they were using Lumus geometric waveguides. In addition to Microsoft, Rivet also has connections' in Peter Thiel's Palantir Technologies. Rivet may be more than your everyday startup.

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Meta Hypernova and Google AR/AI Glasses – Lumus & Avegant Inside, Both Using LCOS MicroDisplays

Meta and Google are both working on AR/AI glasses that are Monocular, Full Color, and using LCOS MicroDisplays (rather than MicroLEDs). It looks to me like Meta has chosen Lumus for its reflective waveguide while Google is using Applied Materials Diffractive Waveguide with an Avegant projector engine.

Read MoreMeta Hypernova and Google AR/AI Glasses – Lumus & Avegant Inside, Both Using LCOS MicroDisplays

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“Transparent” Near-to-Eye Displays