NVIDIA has just filed a patent for AR glasses, which would use an innovative augmented reality display system that transforms optical occlusion through digital holography.
The patent was picked up by “seti_park” on X tagging tech evangelist and XR enthusiast Robert Scoble, with NVIDIA’s new AR glasses patent being one of the things that were NOT on my bingo card for 2025.
The patent explains that the backlight-free augmented reality glasses using digital holography would be “implementing sophisticated self-interference techniques with incoherent light, the system achieves superior occlusion performance while significantly reducing power consumption and form factor compared to conventional backlit AR displays. This subtractive display approach marks a fundamental shift from traditional additive AR display methods”
The full patent is quite a detailed read, but some of the highlights include a bunch of operational mechanisms, with a natural field of view with improved outdoor visibility, reduced optical distortion and comfortable for long-term wear.
The form factor is lightweight with a slimmer design, less face coverage, and better heat management while practical benefits include the ability of high contrast in bright environments, minimal power consumption, simple optical structure, and “better social acceptability” over something like Apple Vision Pro or the older Google Glass headsets.
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An analogy of the NVIDIA AR glasses in the real world: “Think of this system like adaptive transition lenses that can selectively darken specific areas of your view. However, instead of uniformly darkening the entire lens like traditional sunglasses, this system can create precise dark regions only where AR content needs to be displayed”.
“This selective darkening approach not only saves power but also maintains natural vision everywhere else, similar to how modern car windows can have specific tinted regions while keeping the rest clear. The use of ambient light rather than generating its own light makes the system more efficient, just like how e-paper displays are more power-efficient than traditional LCD screens”.