This Small Business Innovation Research project from ACT Research Corporation seeks to establish the feasibility of a multi-user, volumetric 3D visual interface system that can be used for various applications involving volumetric 3D data handling in a computing environment. The proposed system is based on a patented technology developed by ACT called Volumetric Image Display (VID). VID is capable of displaying 3D volumetric images in real space, which can be viewed from all directions by multiple users without the use of any headgear. The combination of spatial and omniviewing features enables most natural human-machine interaction through vision-motor coordination to effectively visualize and manipulate complex 3D data in a real space. The Phase I objective is to develop a prototype software toolkit and to evaluate the system using radiation cancer treatment planning as the first application. In this field, there is a need for methods to better visualize the alignment of treatment beams in relation to the cancer tissue and its surrounding healthy tissues. ACT Research anticipates near term application of the system for visualization in radiation treatment planning. Commercial potential is also anticipated in other areas such as computer model visualization for product and building design, computed flow/flame field visualization for aerospacecraft design, geological data visualization for oil mining, molecular structure visualization for pharmaceutical development, and 3D game machines for entertainment.
