So whilst E3 is going on the rest of the world doesn’t stop, as demonstrated by this article posted on MIT’s Technology Review on glasses free 3D. 3D does seem to be the big buzz for Sony at this year’s show, but Microsoft’s research team seem to have a trick up their sleeve when it comes to removing the cumbersome glasses from the picture.
By using a very special wedge shaped lens that allows them to accurately control where light goes Microsoft seems to have developed glasses free 3D that works no matter where you position yourself. How’s the wedge know where you are? Apparently it uses a camera for head tracking, which then alters the way light enters the lens so that the 3D illusion is maintained. Currently the system can provide two users with stereoscopic views, or four users with 2D viewing. The 2D viewing may seem a little odd, but think of it as a privacy screen, essentially it can send different 2D images to each of the four users (the same is true of the 3D).
Whilst the lens does sounds a little cumbersome initially but Steven Batchie, head of Microsoft’s Applied Sciences Group, says the lens is actually thin enough that it can be easily integrated into a standard LCD display. It uses a highly controlled array of LEDs to at the bottom of the lens to control the way light bounces within the lens and ultimately exits, generating the 3D experience. The use of these LEDs mean that the system essentially replaces the backlighting in a more traditional display, and even the cameras are integrated into the display meaning that there’s no extra peripherals needed for the system to work.
Personally I think glasses free 3D is the way forwards, although I’m not sure if this system will be it. Due to the refresh rate available on LCD displays the system is only able to accommodate a maximum of two 3D users at a time, hardly ideal for a large gathering. Hopefully they find a way around the limitation and the idea becomes more than a proof of concept.
Via: Engadget
