Head-Mounted Smartphone Project Includes Virtual Reality Calls

Everyone is talking about the next big thing when it comes to smartphones. There are a lot of rumors about what companies are about to release, and there are a lot of imaginary smartphones being invented. There’s everything from flexible phones to head-mounted gadgets. Mockups have become one of the primary ways to display what the future will have to offer. Unfortunately, fiction rarely becomes the truth.

Apple is working on their new iPhone, and Samsung has their OLED flexible display technology. Is there anything else we should keep a close eye on? It depends on what you expect to find. A new concept suggests that future smartphones will be head-mounted. They will allow us a hands free experience not only when we call someone, but when we operate it as well. This concept comes from NTT Docomo in Japan, and it could, if perfected, become yet another big seller. It all depends on whether or not we are willing to walk around with a computer on our heads. After all, it is head-mounted.

The device has a whole boatload of features that could possibly revolutionize the way we use our smartphones. It could be viewed as a competitor to Google’s Glass project since it is also focused around the fact that we want a more immersive smartphone experience. The device has three cameras, each with 720p resolution and a fish-eye lens with a 180-degree field of view. They are all located on the frame of the head-mounted smartphone in order to texture a complete 3D scan of the person’s head and send the image to the person on the other end when talking.

As if that was not enough, there is also a camera at the back of the head in order to capture the background. It is later composed into the 3D video feed of the caller in order to make a more realistic presentation of the caller himself. This is so far just a research project with no date set for release. Is this the way we are going to make phone calls in the future? The thought is highly based on science fiction, yet kind of appealing. However, I doubt I will walk around with a head-mounted contraption like this on my head anytime soon. What is your opinion?

NTT Docomo Head-Mounted Smartphone Project