Who doesn’t think Tony Stark looks incredible inside the Iron Man suit?
We might not be able to build the suit just yet, but we can recreate a slice of that experience with AI. That’s what the IronVision HUD does—it gives you a view that feels straight out of the helmet, complete with on-screen indicators, system status, and suit-style readouts.
And the best part? I built it using only HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and ChatGPT. I’ll walk through the code later in this article.
Inspiration behind the project
The project was built for Iron Man enthusiasts to have a glimpse of what being inside the suit could be. For taking pictures and using them as they wish. The possibilities are endless with the right mindset.
And best of all, it can be used on any smartphone. So anyone can use it.
What Iron Vision HUD Does
- Live front-camera feed.
- Eye-reticle overlay and glowing arcs.
- Animated degrees bar on the right.
- Suit stats text ("Repulsors Active," "Reactor Working Normally," "Suit Health 97%").
- Photo capture with flash effect.
- Reversed (mirror) view for realism.
Code structure overview
I will display the code if you want to try it yourself. (Code generated by ChatGPT)
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Iron Vision HUD</title>
<style>
html, body { margin:0; padding:0; height:100%; overflow:hidden; background:#000; font-family:sans-serif; }
#container { position:relative; width:100%; height:100%; }
video#cam { position:absolute; width:100%; height:100%; object-fit:cover; transform:scaleX(-1); }
canvas#hud { position:absolute; top:0; left:0; width:100%; height:100%; pointer-events:none; }
#flashScreen { position:fixed; inset:0; background:#fff; opacity:0; z-index:50; pointer-events:none; transition:opacity 150ms; }
.controls {
position:absolute; bottom:0; left:0; right:0; display:flex; gap:10px;
background:rgba(0,0,0,0.5); padding:10px; flex-wrap:wrap;
}
.controls button { padding:8px 12px; border:none; border-radius:6px; background:#4db7ff; color:#002431; cursor:pointer; }
#downloadLink { color:#bff; text-decoration:none; margin-left:10px; }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div id="container">
<video id="cam" autoplay playsinline muted></video>
<canvas id="hud"></canvas>
<div id="flashScreen"></div>
<div class="controls">
<button id="snap">Take Photo</button>
<button id="flashBtn">Flash</button>
<a id="downloadLink" style="display:none" download="iron-eye.png">Download Photo</a>
</div>
</div>
<script>
(async function(){
const video = document.getElementById('cam');
const canvas = document.getElementById('hud');
const ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');
const flashScreen = document.getElementById('flashScreen');
const snapBtn = document.getElementById('snap');
const flashBtn = document.getElementById('flashBtn');
const downloadLink = document.getElementById('downloadLink');
// Access front camera
try {
const stream = await navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia({ video: { facingMode:'user' }, audio:false });
video.srcObject = stream;
await video.play();
} catch(err) {
alert('Camera access error: ' + err.message);
console.error(err);
return;
}
// Resize canvas
function resize() {
canvas.width = video.videoWidth || window.innerWidth;
canvas.height = video.videoHeight || window.innerHeight;
}
video.addEventListener('loadedmetadata', resize);
window.addEventListener('resize', resize);
// Flash effect
function flash(){
flashScreen.style.opacity = '1';
setTimeout(()=>{ flashScreen.style.opacity = '0'; },150);
}
flashBtn.addEventListener('click', flash);
// Take photo
snapBtn.addEventListener('click', ()=>{
flash();
const out = document.createElement('canvas');
out.width = canvas.width;
out.height = canvas.height;
const octx = out.getContext('2d');
octx.scale(-1,1); // mirror
octx.drawImage(video, -canvas.width, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);
octx.setTransform(1,0,0,1,0,0);
octx.drawImage(canvas,0,0);
out.toBlob(blob=>{
const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
downloadLink.href = url;
downloadLink.style.display='inline';
});
});
// Render HUD
function render(now){
if(!canvas.width) return requestAnimationFrame(render);
ctx.clearRect(0,0,canvas.width,canvas.height);
const w = canvas.width;
const h = canvas.height;
// HUD position (left eye)
const hudX = w*0.3;
const eyeY = h*0.3;
// Eye panel
const eyeW = w*0.08;
const eyeH = h*0.06;
ctx.save();
const grad = ctx.createRadialGradient(hudX,eyeY,3,hudX,eyeY,eyeH);
grad.addColorStop(0,'rgba(180,230,255,0.25)');
grad.addColorStop(1,'rgba(140,200,230,0.05)');
ctx.fillStyle = grad;
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.ellipse(hudX,eyeY,eyeW,eyeH,0,0,Math.PI*2);
ctx.fill();
ctx.restore();
// Reticle
ctx.strokeStyle='rgba(140,220,255,0.9)';
ctx.lineWidth=2;
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.arc(hudX,eyeY,25,0,Math.PI*2);
ctx.stroke();
// Tech arcs
const t = now/1000;
ctx.save();
ctx.translate(hudX,eyeY);
for(let i=0;i<3;i++){
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.lineWidth=1+i;
ctx.strokeStyle=`rgba(120,200,255,${0.2+0.15*i})`;
ctx.arc(0,0,30+3*i,-Math.PI/2+t*0.3,Math.PI*0.6+t*0.3);
ctx.stroke();
}
ctx.restore();
// Animated dots around eye
for(let i=0;i<8;i++){
const angle = (i/8)*Math.PI*2 + t*0.6;
const r = 35;
const px = hudX + Math.cos(angle)*r*0.4;
const py = eyeY + Math.sin(angle)*r*0.12;
ctx.fillStyle = `rgba(180,230,255,${0.2+0.3*Math.abs(Math.sin(t+i))})`;
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.arc(px,py,2 + Math.abs(Math.sin(t*2+i)),0,Math.PI*2);
ctx.fill();
}
// Vertical degrees bar on RIGHT side of circle
const barX = hudX + 150; // clearly right of eye circle
const barTop = eyeY - 40;
const barBottom = eyeY + 40;
ctx.strokeStyle = 'rgba(180,230,255,0.5)';
ctx.lineWidth = 2;
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.moveTo(barX, barTop);
ctx.lineTo(barX, barBottom);
ctx.stroke();
// Moving line and dot on the bar
const linePos = (Math.sin(t*2)+1)/2; // 0 to 1
const lineY = barTop + linePos * (barBottom-barTop);
ctx.strokeStyle = 'rgba(180,230,255,0.9)';
ctx.lineWidth = 1.5;
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.moveTo(barX-10, lineY);
ctx.lineTo(barX+10, lineY);
ctx.stroke();
ctx.fillStyle = 'rgba(180,230,255,1)';
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.arc(barX, lineY, 4, 0, Math.PI*2);
ctx.fill();
// HUD Text - small, bottom-left
ctx.fillStyle = 'rgba(180,230,255,0.9)';
ctx.font = 'bold 7px monospace';
ctx.textBaseline = 'bottom';
const textX = 10;
const textYStart = h - 5;
const lineSpacing = 9;
ctx.fillText('Repulsors Active', textX, textYStart);
ctx.fillText('Reactor Working Normally', textX, textYStart - lineSpacing);
ctx.fillText('Suit Helth 97%', textX, textYStart - lineSpacing*2);
requestAnimationFrame(render);
}
requestAnimationFrame(render);
})();
</script>
</body>
</html>
You can adjust the code to display other writing than the ones I mentioned by changing them in the code.
And if you want just to test it, here's the demo.
How to Use the HUD
- Open the webpage on your phone or PC.
- Allow camera access.
- Position your face so the HUD eye aligns. And some cool Iron Mask positions.
- Tap “Take Photo” to capture a futuristic selfie. Or a superhero selfie.
- Download or share the output.
Real-World Uses
AR demonstrations. It displays how we can use AR.
Cosplay enhancement. It could be just a cosplay.
Educational coding example for beginners.
Conclusion
So this project isn't just for display but also to teach about coding and AR with a fun, simple example using AI.