Glasses-free 3D technology developed

Glasses-free 3D technology developed NEWS

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Researchers in South Korea are working on technology which will allow 3D films to be viewed in cinemas without glasses, the BBC has reported.

The new technology is being developed so that screens use barriers with slats, so that each of the eyes see the image differently, giving the 3D effect and an illusion of depth.

Seoul National University is conducting the study , and has appeared in Optics Express. (http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-20-18-20130). Professor John Koshel at the College of Optical Sciences in the University of Arizona, who edited the study for publication, said, 'This new method seems to be a viable one for providing glasses-free 3D environment with front-projection technology - instead of using multiple projectors, it only uses one.'

Until now, in order for the technology to work, a technique called 'parallax barrier' needed to be used, which incorporates slats in front of the image source, similar to a Venetian blind. Light coming through the slats are directed to each of the eyes. However, the limitation of this technology means that the viewer must be sitting in an exact spot, which is impossible for those watching a 3D movie in a cinema.

The team of experts in South Korea have got round the problem by mimicking the parallax barrier technology, but by using polarisers, similar to the lenses of 3D glasses, and covering the screen with a special coating.

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