A 2nd generation autostereoscopic 3-D display

A useful and practical autostereoscopic 3-D display has been developed from an earlier experimental design which was demonstrated in 1990 [8]. The concept of the new autostereo display is unchanged from the earlier one. The use of commercially available components and purpose designed electronics, however, has meant we now have a practical and reliable autostereoscopic display to work with. We are manufacturing a small number of the autostereoscopic displays for research workers investigating applications of autostereoscopy. Various new applications are being developed here in Cambridge using these autostereo displays, transforming autostereo from a novelty item into a useful tool. In turn the displays requirements are beginning to drive other computer and network system design issues. This paper gives a brief primer of technologies of autostereopsis, discusses the hardware architecture of the display and its associated computer, describes the software controlling the display and lists some applications. Other state-of-the-art papers [7] [5] [6] consider some of the computer and network system design issues and broader opportunities being opened up by this new display technology.