Looks like the future as seen by numerous sci-fi films is about to become a reality. Japanese researchers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology ( NIAIST) have developed a system through which you can not only see 3D images but you can then manipulate anyway you like. Theoretically it will be just like handling a 3D object in real space. So yes, other than motions sensors it also devices for haptic feedback.
The Wedge Lens in action
Yes, the holy grail of 3D footage viewing — viewing without the glasses. We love 3D, yes we do. But we hate them glasses, oh how we hate them. So here’s a solution from the Microsoft [NASDAQ:MSFT] Applied Sciences Group — beaming two separate images to two each eye. Although this approach has been tried before, this solution from the Microsoft ASG is slightly different.
The current crop of 3D image display technologies all have one thing in common — none of them generate a real 3D object to be viewed. They rely on creating an optical illusion that makes is seem like 2D images are actually 3D objects. It is the trick used that varies, along with its refinement. The Flyfire project at Michigan Institute of Technology (MIT) aims to change this by making pixels fly.
Yes, the folks at MIT’s SENSEable and ARES labs are working on a project that utilizes tiny helicopters flying in formation to create complex 3D rendering in actual 3D space. That means you can finally view the image formed from all angles and in real time and space. There are no tricks involved.
Each pixel hovers in air and acts as a smart pixel, being controlled by a central command system at makes it fly in close formation to form various shapes. A good analogy was given by a research fellow, E Roong Kang, at the SENSEable labs. He said that they are like the bees that chase Winnie the Pooh. In the cartoon, the bees come out of the disturbed hive and chase Pooh while changing shapes to match a beast or something other real object.
The self-stabilizing and precision control technology required to pull this feat off was developed by MIT’s ARES labs. According to them — there are only two ways to increase the resolution of such displays — increase the number of pixels or view from a greater distance. They are currently going to utilize the second and use it to make public installations where the smart pixels recharge every few moments put on a show.
The future is conceptualized as the smart dust — self-computing units small enough to be nearly invisible on their own. Currently, the uses of Flyfire are mainly for public displays that can be viewed from all angles.
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