Transpost: 360 deg-Viewable Three-Dimensional Display System

Three-dimensional (3-D) displays are drawing attention as next-generation devices. Some techniques which can reproduce 3-D images prepared in advance have already been developed. However, technology for the transmission of 3-D moving pictures in real time is yet to be achieved. In this paper, we present a novel method for 360/spl deg/ viewable 3-D displays and the Transpost system in which we implement the method. The basic concept of our system is to project multiple images of the object, taken from different angles, onto a spinning screen. The key to the method is projection of the images onto a directionally reflective screen with a limited viewing angle. The images are reconstructed to give the viewer a 3-D image of the object displayed on the screen. The display system can present images of computer-graphics pictures, live pictures, and movies. Furthermore, the reverse optical process of that in the display system can be used to record images of the subject from multiple directions; the images can then be transmitted to the display in real-time. We have developed prototypes of a 3-D display and a 3-D human-image transmission system. Our preliminary working prototypes demonstrate new possibilities of expression and forms of communication.

I. Introduction

The motivation for this work is to realize real stereovision images in space like those seen in science-fiction and action movies. There have been many movies that contain scenes in which holograms appear. These films indicate a desire or a premonition in many of us to see this kind of technology brought to life. However, it is nearly impossible to project volumetric images into aerial space with current technology, and it is hard to visualize distant objects as if they are at that place. In the present study, as the first step toward realizing this dream, we have developed a novel approach for producing an all-around three-dimensional (3-D) display system, which we cannot touch, but we can view from 360°.