SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project proposes the design of a computer monitor that provides true three-dimensional (T3D) views of a scene. T3D presents information over a volumetric space. Such a system does not suffer from the loss of depth information, because of the projection of 3-D information onto a 2-D screen. Since such a system is not available commercially, people often use stereo image-based pseudo 3-D display systems to satisfy the demand for visualizing information with increased realism. The research objective for Phase I is to provide T3D views by distributing the contents of a 3-D scene over several planes-of-views, and optically projecting these planes-of-views onto a movable projection screen. A novel scheme is used to synchronize the movement of the projection screen with plane-by-plane information generated on the CRT screen so that T3D views can be generated without flickers. The use of these innovative concepts is anticipated to contribute effectively in designing a commercial quality T3D display system at a reasonable cost. Thus, the proposed system is expected to find applications in the fields ranging from scientific visualization to entertainment.

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project proposes the development of a low-cost desktop true three dimensional (3-D) information display system suitable for commercialization during Phase III. The proposed video monitor will provide highly realistic static and dynamic 3-D images by presenting information over a volumetric space, rather than a conventional planar space. As a result, the displayed information neither suffers from the loss of actual depth information as in a conventional monitor, nor requires the use of specially designed eyeglasses needed for stereovision systems. Fullcolor true 3-D views will be generated by projecting plane-by-plane image slices onto a projection screen that moves backward and forward in synchronization with the information generated on a CRT screen. By accessing these planes-of-view 30 times per second, flicker-free true 3-D views are generated over a volumetric space that are viewable from multiple angles. The anticipated low cost of this practical system should make it affordable for personal use since it will be designed primarily with commercially available system components, aided by novel digital imaging techniques and software approaches. Thus, the proposed system is expected to find many diverse applications ranging from scientific and industrial visualization to entertainment. Some of the initial applications include biomedical image processing, scientific visualization, protein structure determination, general-purpose 3-D computer graphics, radar imaging, battlefield management, and aircraft design.