A number of emerging imaging technologies permit inspection directly through walls, into luggage, beneath rubble, and through turbid water or smoke. This proposal describes a new method of displaying such data in situ by merging a stable virtual image of the data with a direct view of its physical location, using a Holographic Optical Element (HOE). The method, Real Time Tomographic (RTT) Display, requires no tracking or head-mounted apparatus, and will operate in the 0.1-5 meter range around the observer, permitting the observer to look directly through intervening structures as though transparent, while taking full advantage of natural hand-eye coordination, stereoscopic vision, and motion cues. The proposed HOE-based technique relates to a recent innovation, the Sonic Flashlight, which uses a half-silvered mirror to perform the same function at a smaller scale for medical ultrasound. The present proposal extends the concept to larger-scale non-medical imaging modalities, including those based on laser or ultrasonic range-finders, ultra-wideband radar, and close-range (underwater) sonar. RTT displays represent an important new method of augmenting natural interaction with tomographic data. Investigator George Stetten developed the original mirror-based Sonic Flashlight system and Investigator Andreas Nowatzyk developed the theory for the HOE-based version. CMU is a premier center for research and education, especially strong in Robotics, Graphics, and Human/Computer Interfaces. Student participation is anticipated, including graduate thesis research.
