This looks like a plausible build for an eager hobbyist. PhD not required. There was an open source AR headset released a few years back and my company put one

This looks like a plausible build for an eager hobbyist. PhD not required. There was an open source AR headset released a few years back and my company put one together with a smattering of off-the-shelf parts and a consumer-grade 3d printer in a few weeks with just a few regular devs with undergrad degrees. The parts list for this device is nothing you can't find on amazon/aliexpress/digikey and it says you can use an Ender or any other FDM printer (no mention of filament, but I'm guessing that means PLA is ok). https://developer.leapmotion.com/northstar https://developer.leapmotion.com/northstar