Display Research at the University of Southern California

The University of Southern California and its collaborative research partner, Fakespace Labs, are participating in a number of research programs to invent and implement new forms of display technologies for immersive and semi-immersive applications. This paper briefly describes three of these technologies and highlights a few emerging results from those efforts. The first system is a rear projected 300 degree field of view cylindrical display. It is driven by 11 projectors with geometry correction and edge blending hardware. A full scale prototype will be completed in March 2006. The second system is a 14 screen projected panoramic room environment used as an advanced teaching and meeting space. It can be driven by a cluster of personal computers or low-cost DVD players, or driven by a single personal computer. The third is a prototype stereoscopic head mounted display that can be worn in a fashion similar to standard dust protection goggles. It provides a field of view in excess of 150 degrees. 1 CYLINDRICAL DISPLAY SYSTEM In late 2004, the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies was asked to design and deploy a display system for training soldiers in close air support (CAS) tasks. CAS requires a ground-based soldier to guide an aircraft to a target using radio communication. The project called for a minimum 270 degree horizontal field of view and the ability to view aircraft directly overhead. The physical dimensions of the system had to fit within a former vehicle repair garage. Initially, a front projection dome system was considered. However this approach was not feasible due to equipment cost restrictions and long term maintenance concerns. The final design was a rear projected cylinder with a ceiling screen as illustrated in Figure 1. Our initial specifications provided a twenty foot radius ceiling projection covering an eight foot high vertical screen. These dimensions provided a 300 degree horizontal field of view exceeding the application requirements. 1.1 Implementation Process A significant project challenge involved producing the highest display resolution possible within a somewhat limited budget. To accomplish this goal, we looked to the work of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers who in the late 1990s developed high resolution displays by blending and warping imagery from multiple projectors [1]. Commercial hardware incorporating these techniques have emerged in the past several years. Leveraging the availability of these products, we designed our final system to use eleven 1400x1050 resolution DLP projectors. Each projector is equipped with built in geometry correction and edge blending hardware. Seven projection channels provide imagery for the vertical screen and the remaining four channels provide the ceiling sky projection. Each channel connects to a single PC image generator (IG). Imagery on all IG nodes is synchronized via a master graphics client broadcasting global event changes. We chose rear projection to prevent user shadows on the large interior display surface. The display was developed by first fabricating a small scale prototype, five foot high with an approximately 180 degree field of view (Figures 2-3). This system informed the construction of the final version by allowing us to evaluate projection throws, geometry correction, blending performance, and screen materials. The rear projected cylinder required a highly specialized frame design. We employed the services of a mechanical design contractor to design a unique solution utilizing a rigid steel frame *e-mail:[email protected] e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Figure 1: Rendering of final cylindrical display system to be deployed March 2006 Report Documentation Page Form Approved