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New technology regarding screen monitor layers create the illusion of depth

April 2, 2002 /

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A new 3-D computer monitor is coming this spring, and the images have so much true, lifelike depth that
objects look like you could reach inside the display and pull them out.

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The liquid crystal display doesn’t need any specific software to create a 3-D desktop. Users don’t have to
wear special glasses. And the monitor works with different operating systems and computer hardware,
including Windows, Apple and Linux equipment.
And although there are plans for many uses of the ActualDepth 3-D screen – such as medical, industrial
and military applications – its developers also think people at home would like to see their virtual work and play
space in three dimensions.
"Your brain likes to see in depth," said Rj Siegel, president of Digitalogic in Glendale, a U.S. distributor of
the ActualDepth screens. "When something moves in depth, you respond more dramatically. And there are
many functions where it is good to see in 3-D."

Siegel said the 3-D environment is created by
pushing light through two flat-panel LCD screens
using a process that doesn’t distort the images. The
dual displays are built one on top of the other – with
some space in between – into one case.
Siegel said the monitors vary in depth depending
on the type. For example, the ActualDepth displays
designed for information kiosks have a 40mm
separation, while screens for small hand-helds have
only 5mm of space. But the effect is similar, Siegel
said.
"This has been four years of my life, to unlock the
code of 3-D video," said Siegel, who is also the chief
technologist for Deep Video Imaging, the New
Zealand company that developed the system.
"Sometimes there are creative ideas, but the
technology isn’t around to make them happen."
Siegel said three-dimensional screens could be
used to "de-clutter" the cockpits in military tanks, which
can have more than a half-dozen monitors.
The technology could also be the "holy grail for
medical imaging," said Siegel, stressing the displays
could give perfect perspectives for studying tumors.
The screens could also be used in public kiosks, arcade-style video systems, casino slot machines and
digital wristwatches.
"It is real 3-D, not the illusion of 3-D," Siegel said while giving a demonstration of the monitor in his
Glendale, Wis., office. "A lot of this is based on what we thought the games would look like. You can see
through the QuickTime movie through to the desktop environment."
Several demonstration programs on an ActualDepth display produced 3-D images so whole and fluid, they
appeared alive, surreal and hypnotic inside the screen.
And ActualDepth 3-D isn’t limited to programs or videos designed to take advantage of the LCD’s abilities.
Users can layer their open programs on the screen, but instead of windows being hidden by each other, they
become transparent.
You can see though an open Web browser window to an e-mail program running underneath it.
On a Windows PC, the operating system recognizes the 3-D screen as a dual display system, except the
dual displays are layered atop one another instead of side by side. The end result is similar in that the desktop
is much larger.
The possibilities could drastically change the concept of computer multitasking.
And Siegel, who worked on Apple’s original Macintosh development team for years, is used to being part of
projects that make a major impact.
"It was like we were going to change the world, and we did," Siegel said of his days with Apple. "Windows
is a great rip-off of the Mac OS. My life has been spent looking for technology that would really make a difference
like that."
Siegel harkens the release of the ActualDepth monitor to the dawn of color television in the 1950s.
"The added dimension of color is very important, and depth is even more relevant," he said. "It’s the kind of
technology that makes sense. This is a revolutionary product that is going to make a difference."
There are already ActualDepth developer kits available for software makers who want to start creating
programs for the hardware. These kits include a 3-D LCD with a computer built into one case, and they cost
$2,500.
The only major technological requirement for an ActualDepth monitor is dual video outputs, which means
most users would have to add a second graphics card to their computers. The consumer models of the
ActualDepth screens, which will cost about twice as much as current flat-panel monitors, should be available in
May, Siegel said.
"I’m an Apple guy, so you know they are going to look great on the outside as well inside," he said.
Deep Video Imaging’s Web site is http://www.actualdepth.com
. For more information or to buy a ActualDepth developer’s kit, send e-mail to [email protected]
.)