Osram launches smallest side-looking IR LED
850nm transmitter can provide illumination for eye-tracking systems in headsets
The new transmitter, which has a wavelength of 850 nm and a footprint of 1.0 x 0.325 x 0.55mm, is primarily targeted at eye-tracking systems in augmented and virtual reality headsets.
Eye-tracking systems use multiple infrared LEDs to illuminate users' eyes and capture the light reflected back with camera sensors. This allows these systems to compute the position of the user's pupil and work out what direction the user is looking in.
Incorporating this technology into virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) headsets calls for extremely compact infrared LEDs, tiny enough to fit into glasses around eyepieces.
Infrared transmitters, lasers and photodetectors from Osram are already in use in VR and AR solutions, and the company says its first infrared Firefly will enable it to support new use cases in this fast-growing market.
