Holographic waveguides are an ideal combiner type for use in head-up displays (HUDs) and other AR optical systems. However, most commercially successful holographic waveguides use flat surfaces for interfacing with the user. Curved surfaces are more desirable, but with waveguide design, curving the holographic projection introduces a number of aberrations to the image, so designing a curved combiner for HUD and AR becomes much more challenging.

Pierre-Alexandre Blanche, Research Professor at the University of Arizona's Wyant College of Optical Sciences, had the idea to develop a curved waveguide combiner that would better suit modern market requirements for AR wearables and displays. 

Read the full story to find out how Draper and Blanche used OpticStudio to design an optical system that verifies the use of a curved waveguide as a combiner through propagation correction using HOEs.

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