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360-Degree 3D Imaging
CompSurfer writes "Yesterday, 3Dsolar released information about a new 3D imaging system, it works by somehow projecting onto a rotating screen. According to the story the "Prototype debuts at NVIDIA Oct. 25 in Santa Clara, California and [at] Innovact in Reims, France, October 5-7" I wonder where they are hiding the force field emitter..."
I somehow have a feeling that what they are trying to do, just like every other application I have seen (projection through smoke, etc), is not going to turn out quite with either the resolution or clarity they want. I hope it works out, sign me up if it does, but I definitely have my reserve about their claims.
This is what is says on the 3Dsolar site...
It doesn't sound like a method of displaying images that have depth, with a different perspective for each eye. It sounds like a way of somehow projecting a 2D image that appears to be in mid air. I recall reading about this sort of thing ages ago, using some tricks with light to make images appear to hover in front of store windows using some form of projection. I think it is inaccurate to describe it as a 3D display if it can't give the perception of depth, but it still sounds like great technology.
I'd say all the images look faked too. Could be that it's considered okay in France to fake your promo pics. I know it is here in the States.
... nah. I think it's a crock much as I'd like to believe otherwise. I still remember an episode of ST:TNG when Captain Picard was sitting in his ready room examining a hologram of some unusual stellar system, and it was floating above, and appeared to be generated from, the Captain's desk. I thought that was slick. I know I wanted one.
According to what little the "article" said, there is no screen, objects just float in midair up to eight inches away from the projector. But more to the point, how do you fool human stereoscopic vision into perceiving depth? Visual cuing works to an extent (even with only one eye) but only in cases where the brain is already familiar with the classes of objects involved and can make reasonable judgements as to relative size and distance. Otherwise you would have to provide slightly different images to each eye (like the LCD glasses another poster mentioned.) I dunno, sounds like more hype than substance here. Maybe they're generating changing interference patterns that somehow interact in midair to product a floating image
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
... who wonders how you create 3D images with only one 2D image? Doesn't that limit the 3D images that can be displayed or what???
There are a bunch of peeps saying that the technology projects onto a peice of rotating material. Thats not what the article says.
For the very first time, computer users will be able to view 3D objects hovering a few inches away from a screen that rotates 360 degrees - without wearing glasses
I think this phrase is confusing people. That refers to seeing it from 360 deg around. Later in the article it says The 3Dsolar device projects the Windows or MAC desktop image into the air whereby users click on icons for manipulation. Nothing about any rotating surface. I still think there's something funny going on here, but we'll have to wait for some real photos to say how it works, not that PR junk on the site.
Bacardi + slashdot = negative karma.
But may i as why such a visually intensive project does not have any snapshots, pictures..
Besides the babe who is trying to imagine there is a cube...
The lunatic is in my head
Which means absolutely nothing. Marketing 101, no more. Yes, it sure does sound like vaporware, but only time will tell.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
But why do you say it's not related? They both project "into the air", and both mimic interactivity. (Heliodisplay is explicitly 2-D, 3Dsolar is likely at most "2.5-D" ;-) So do you have a particular reason to suspect that 3Dsolar is not just an enhancement or adaption of helio?
.sigs: Just Say No!