Researchers Create 3D Multi-viewpoint Display Using Fog And Projectors

With the ongoing development in television technology it would be possible for us to see an actual 3D object or a hologram with 360 degree viewing. Holograms are generally seen in sci-fi movies but we always think of it to be seen live. We always want to use holograms as used in movies like Ironman, Harry Potter series etc but we know it’s not possible, we can only imagine such things. But Japanese researchers have once again made our imagination come alive.

A research group from Osaka University exhibited a fog display that enables multi-viewpoint observation. They were able to create the effect of a hologram with a 3D bunny image using three projectors and some fog. Although the fog projectors have been known for years it was restricted to projection of only 2D images at one time. This is why when the same image is projected from three different angles at one time the illusion of a 3D object is formed. The Pico projectors which were used to create the bunny, created three different parts of the bunny, first one projected the limbs, second projected the torso, and the third created the head. One of the researcher from Osaka University said “Ordinary fog displays use a single projector with fog on a flat surface, but this display uses three projectors, each showing a different picture. So when the observer moves around the fog, they get a three-dimensional view.” This bunny is a 3D image with 360⁰ viewing and uses the property of holography.

The fog and the images from the three projectors are concentrated on the same area to produce a floating hologram of a bunny. The fog then acts as a parallax barrier, so whatever angle we look at the image we are seeing only one angle at a time. This system utilizes the fact that dispersion of light by fog has directionality (as stated by Diginfo -). It projects different pictures, from different angles, onto a cylindrical fog screen. In this way, the 3D form of objects can be recognized from the motion parallax, which is how the view of objects changes depending on the viewpoint. If the number of projected images is increased the hence formed 3D image would be even more effective.

The researcher added later “As future developments, we hope this system will find applications in healthcare and entertainment. We would also like to find more useful content, and improve the configuration to make the fog display a bit more stable." In future, scientists can use this technique for different applications and also to make 3D things.

Given below is a link to the video describing this 3D bunny image.



Image Credits: 3D Multi-Viewpoint Fog Projection DisplayGeeks are Sexy Technology News