This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project from Dimension Technologies, Inc. (DTI) will determine the feasibility of a desktop autostereoscopic (3D without glasses) rear projection display. This proposed display would offer freedom of observer movement, hologram-like look-around, and multiple observer viewing of large, full color, high resolution images. It will use a fast ICFLCD or DLP light valve along with other off-the-shelf optical and lighting components. The project will concentrate on three main objectives: construction of a fully functional bench model; characterization of the model by means of psychophysical tests and optical measurements; and the definition of requirements and features of an engineering prototype to be built in the next phase of the research for the purpose of developing commercial products for scientific visualization. A display of this type would significantly enhance existing advanced simulation capabilities by presenting complex representations of data and simulated phenomena in a natural, easy to see and interpret 3D format that can be viewed by several people simultaneously without encumbering glasses or headgear. Desktop autostereoscopic displays of the type proposed could find widespread use as visualization tools in areas where stereoscopic displays are already known to be of benefit. These include such applications as chemistry, geology, mathematics, medical imaging, CAD, and architecture. Partnering with a firm that is a current DTI display user and is a potential customer for this proposed desktop autostereoscopic displays should lead to rapid commercialization.
