Introduction: Eagle Eyes Visor

By
About: A professional amateur with big dreams.

Imagine never ever needing to turn around to look behind you. With the Eagle Eyes Visor now you can. It's the perfect solution when watching a scary movie or being stalked by a stranger.

Eagle Eyes Visor mimics the vision of eagles. These magnificent birds of prey have a wide field of view, more than 270 degrees compared to 120 degrees for humans. An easy way of achieving wide-view vision is through the use of convex mirror lenses. The concept is similar to hemispherical mirrors placed in the corner of a road junction to enable one to see around the corner.

The challenge here is to make a wearable version of that mirror. An important point to note is the solution must be implemented without impeding normal forward vision. This can be achieved with a convex half-mirror lens. Using such a lens, I can increase my field of view while maintaining normal vision.

Step 1: Materials

i) Plastic lens from a safety goggle

ii) Gold sputter machine

iii) 3D printed frame

Attachments

Step 2: Half-mirror Lenses

Remove the clear plastic lens from the safety goggles. The side protection bits are cut off so it doesn't look awkward when placing it back-to-front onto the 3D printed frame later.

Although optional, it is a good idea to clean the lens with IPA if they are smudged to ensure that the gold layer adheres well to the surface.

I tried to form a half mirror by spraying a coat of gold paint onto the lens but that process was too uncontrollable and I ended up with an opaque layer of gold on the lens.

So, I used a gold sputter machine instead to deposit a controlled thin layer of gold onto the front surface of the lens. By adjusting the sputtering time and sputter parameters, I got a half-mirror.

Step 3: Frame

I designed the frame to go with the half-mirror lens. A 3D model of the frame was developed and subsequently 3D printed. After several iterations, I arrived at the final frame design. It was deliberately printed in multi-colored plastic to enhance its goofiness.

Next, the lens is carefully attached to the frame to form the novel eyewear. Remember, the lens works by attaching it front-to-back compared to the original safety goggles.

Attachments

Step 4: Assemble and Test

Next, the lens is carefully attached to the frame to form the Eagle Eye visor. From my test, I could easily see reflection of images behind me. I have tried it on several other people who reported that they could also see reflection of images around them.

1. When assembling the Visor take care not to touch the side of the lens with sputtered gold coating as it can rub off,

2. Attach the Left and Right Style attachments from the top and clicking in by swivelling from the left and right sides, respectively.

3. Finally attach the Left and Right Ear Rests. The Ear Rests can be detached and reattached from the sides for easy storage.

Enjoy the Visor!

Lazy Life Challenge

Participated in the
Lazy Life Challenge