Data glasses and smart glasses have been well known since the introduction of Google Glass in 2012. For some, they are considered the communication instrument of the future – they are not a bestseller, however. You, Professor Herold, are researching a new generation of glasses. What is special about them?

Data glasses can provide us with information and images via projections, which adds an additional virtual layer to our field of vision. New opportunities are opening up: data glasses can show us the way when riding a bike, and they can help us operate machines. We can communicate through the glasses while keeping our hands free for other tasks. Google Glass uses voice control for this purpose. However, this does not always work reliably, which is why we are working on making it possible to control the computer mouse with your eyes. I could then write emails with my eyes.

How can a mouse be controlled with your eyes?

An infrared light is reflected by the eyes and filmed by a camera in data glasses. Software evaluates the data generated by this and determines which object in the room the wearer is currently focused on. Our goal in the Adaptive Data Glasses project is to optimise this function. We want the wearer to see the projections three-dimensionally in space. I have been working on the development of the technology since 2007. At that time, I was at the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems in Dresden.

Are the usual two-dimensional projections not sufficient?

No, because it is unpleasant for the wearer of glasses when the eye has to focus alternately between the real environment and the virtual projection. This is a disadvantage of data glasses without eye tracking, because you always see the virtual projection about 30 centimetres in front of your eyes. With our project, we hope to achieve a projection with variable distances. This is made possible by using liquid lenses, whose optical properties can be changed. We can also use them to create a kind of hologram. This three-dimensional projection can be placed anywhere in the room – that is, always where it is needed. If, for example, a doctor is operating on a bone fracture, the X-ray image could be projected precisely onto the injured area using data glasses.

The project is supported by three cooperation partners. What role do they play?

Without our partners we could not realise the project. Collaboration with the French company Microoled is particularly essential for us. It is one of three companies worldwide that manufacture micro-displays. Their tiny monitors are the heart of the data glasses. Normally, we as a university would not get any micro-displays at all, because such a large manufacturer does not sell individual items.

How do you assess the market opportunities for your data glasses?

We have already had many inquiries, and several follow-up projects have already resulted from our project. The data glasses are to be used to support production workers at the Volkswagen facility in Dresden. The aim is that, in the future, these glasses will show the workers digitally where they have to tighten which screw and which step follows next. And Koenig & Bauer, the second-largest printing press manufacturer in the world, also wants to use our glasses as a service tool. If a printing press breaks down at The New York Times, they have to fly in a specialist from Würzburg. This means significant downtime, which quickly results in additional costs in the millions. Data glasses can help avoid this: in the future, a technician on-site could put on the glasses and connect virtually with the specialist in Würzburg. The specialist then uses the glasses to show the technician which components need to be replaced. Incidentally, doctors at a hospital in Zwickau also want to use this type of coaching and thus improve the training of assistant doctors with the help of data glasses.

To what extent does the economy in the region also benefit from your development?

We plan to found a company for the realisation of the current and future research projects resulting from our project, which will result in the creation of jobs. We also train experts who are in demand. Some employees will remain in the region. This offers new opportunities for local companies in the industry, because we are the only university in Europe that develops not only the software for data glasses, but also all the hardware.

This interview was published in the BMBF brochure “Research at Universities of Applied Sciences”