The objective of this Phase I effort is to design and simulate an innovative optical architecture for true, interactive-rate holographic video. Our novel technique takes a contrarian approach to existing multi-view and holographic video systems, which are typically crippled by "jailbar" dark regions, limited viewing zones, and image distortions arising from rendering techniques not intended for multi-perspective displays. The proposed multi-view holovideo system is a highly multi-perspective autostereoscopic display, capable of generating three-dimensional Spatial imagery visible across a 30-degree viewing zone, comprised of 100+ XGA-resolution views. This represents an order-of-magnitude leap in performance over previous approaches. Actuality Systems is a recognized leader in the commercialization of Spatial 3-D visualization systems; construction of a prototype in Phase II will be simplified by the reuse of certain core technologies. The resulting display is amenable to cost- and size-reduction, and will be suitable for use on the desktop, in the cockpit, and eventually in handheld devices.
Benefits: The proposed technology will enable the creation of holographic video on the desktop, projecting realistic, volume-filling 3-D imagery that can be seen from a wide range of angles. Spatial 3-D imagery has been proven to provide the fastest reaction times and the most accurate prediction of collisions between elements in a scene. Also, we have found that Spatial 3-D drastically reduces the time to comprehend complex 3-D scenes, such as military images or the location of a catheter within the heart. The proposed technology will provide these benefits at low cost, using COTS video cards and no exotic materials. It will leverage the proposing firm's existing Spatial 3-D platform, enabling it to be compatible with the wide array of 3-D graphics applications already on the market. The commercial value of the proposed technology is staggering: it addresses immediate needs in the $140+ billion annual marketplace of 3-D computation and software in military, mechanical CAD, medical, and geophysical visualization. An interactive holographic multi-view display can complement and substitute for nearly every existing display surface, such as CRTs ($30 billion market), flat-panel displays ($29 billion market), PDA displays, cockpit-based displays, and televisions.
Keywords: holographic video, Spatial 3-D, autostereoscopic, computer graphics, display, parallax, hologram
