Ever dreamed of shaking hands with Sachin Tendulkar? A Japanese firm on Wednesday unveiled a system that enables you to feel “the shape and softness” of three-dimensional images using a sensor-loaded glove.
The ‘tangible 3D’ system creates graphics that seem to burst out of a screen, and it even has a glove that allows users to ‘feel’ the images, according to developers NTT Comware – the software development unit of telecom giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone. Without any need for awkward 3D glasses, users could feel a far-away object as if it were right in front of them, NTT said. “You would be able to take the hand, or gently pat the head, of your beloved grandchild who lives far away from you,” said engineer Shiro Ozawa. If a person linked to the system moves, his or her three-dimensional image also moves in realtime . The user would feel as if they were being pulled along if the image moves while grasping your hand.
How it works?
The technology depends on real-time rendering and transfer of photos, such as those of your hand when simulating a handshake. Using two cameras, the device films the hand from multiple angles. The glove worn by the user grabs the precise size and position, for optimum accuracy. This data is used to render a 3D image of the hand on the display screen. The screen used is NTT’s 3D Display – developed in 2005 – which allows users to view three-dimensional images without wearing special 3D glasses.
Once the image is displayed, it sends the data back across to the glove, which processes it to provide a feeling of actual touch. So, when the user grasps the hand, the sensors on the glove pick up that data and transfer it to the image displayed, which reacts accordingly. All this, done in real time, gives a feeling of real tactile movement.
While the NTT 3D Display’s technology enables simultaneous 3D viewing by multiple users, the current tangible 3D system is limited to one user at a time.
The future
The company is planning to use this technology in a number of other applications. One of the places where it sees great potential is in museums.
Normally, a lot of museum artefacts, such as dinosaur fossils or rare paintings, are stored at a great distance. But with this new technology, the dead could also be “resurrected” by the system and museum visitors could “touch” precious exhibits sealed in showcases, the firm said.
Another target for the technology is virtual classrooms, where students could feel and touch objects which are placed at a great distance, offering a new depth to the learning experience.
The company also has plans to use tangible 3D in mobile phones in the future, Ozawa said.
Source: http://infotech.indiatimes.com/Personal_Tech/Computing/A_new_3D_sensation_/articleshow/2160374.cms
The ‘tangible 3D’ system creates graphics that seem to burst out of a screen, and it even has a glove that allows users to ‘feel’ the images, according to developers NTT Comware – the software development unit of telecom giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone. Without any need for awkward 3D glasses, users could feel a far-away object as if it were right in front of them, NTT said. “You would be able to take the hand, or gently pat the head, of your beloved grandchild who lives far away from you,” said engineer Shiro Ozawa. If a person linked to the system moves, his or her three-dimensional image also moves in realtime . The user would feel as if they were being pulled along if the image moves while grasping your hand.
How it works?
The technology depends on real-time rendering and transfer of photos, such as those of your hand when simulating a handshake. Using two cameras, the device films the hand from multiple angles. The glove worn by the user grabs the precise size and position, for optimum accuracy. This data is used to render a 3D image of the hand on the display screen. The screen used is NTT’s 3D Display – developed in 2005 – which allows users to view three-dimensional images without wearing special 3D glasses.
Once the image is displayed, it sends the data back across to the glove, which processes it to provide a feeling of actual touch. So, when the user grasps the hand, the sensors on the glove pick up that data and transfer it to the image displayed, which reacts accordingly. All this, done in real time, gives a feeling of real tactile movement.
While the NTT 3D Display’s technology enables simultaneous 3D viewing by multiple users, the current tangible 3D system is limited to one user at a time.
The future
The company is planning to use this technology in a number of other applications. One of the places where it sees great potential is in museums.
Normally, a lot of museum artefacts, such as dinosaur fossils or rare paintings, are stored at a great distance. But with this new technology, the dead could also be “resurrected” by the system and museum visitors could “touch” precious exhibits sealed in showcases, the firm said.
Another target for the technology is virtual classrooms, where students could feel and touch objects which are placed at a great distance, offering a new depth to the learning experience.
The company also has plans to use tangible 3D in mobile phones in the future, Ozawa said.
Source: http://infotech.indiatimes.com/Personal_Tech/Computing/A_new_3D_sensation_/articleshow/2160374.cms