Virtual Retinal Display(TM) technology is a retinal scanning display (RSD) technology being developed at Microvision Inc., far a variety of applications including microdisplays. An RSD scans a modulated light beam onto a viewer's retina to produce a perceived image. Red, green and blue Light sources, such as lasers, laser diodes or LEDs combine with Microvision's proprietary miniaturized scanner designs to make the RSD very well suited for head-worn and helmet-mounted displays (HMD). This paper compares the features of RSD technology to other display technologies such as the cathode ray tubes (CRT) or matrix-based displays for HMD and other wearable display applications, and notes important performance advantages due to the number of pixel-generating elements. Also discussed are some fundamental optical limitations for virtual displays used in HMD applications.
