Interactive stereoscopic image display system for personal computers

Interactive stereoscopic image display system for personal computersAtsushi Miyazawa, Kazuya ShimS, and Kazutoshii SugimotoIBM Research, Tokyo Research LaboratoryIBM Japan, Ltd., 1623-14, Shimotsuru.ma, Yamato-shi, Kanagawa 242ABSTRACTWe have developed an experimental stereoscopic display system for personal computers that utilizes alenticular array and a high-resolution color liquid crystal display panel. This article discusses the principlesof stereopsis used in the system, describes the syetem' s mechanism and features, and evaluates theperformance ofits graphics system. We also developed a color image quantization algorithm specificallyfor this display device. In addition, we proposed a technique for interactive 3D manipulation of objects,which uses two trackballs to allow movement and rotation through six degrees of freedom.1. INTRODUCTIONVarious graphical user interface (GUI) paradigms such as those used in the Xerox Alto and Star havebeen introduced since the early 1970' s. The results have shown that interactive systems can be made easierto learn by using an analogy with the way in which business people work in an actual office. In this sense,the analogy (known as "the desktop metaphor") is considered as a two-dimensional version of virtualreality. During the past 10 years, rapid advances in personal computer techniques and technologies havemade such GUIs a famifiar feature ofour daily lives. However, the ability to present depth information in anatural way is still absent from computer-graphics environments, which usually present only a single viewofthe world, as ifthe viewer had only one eye. In future, it is expected that new GUIs will be developed toallow people to mainpulate frue three-dimensional computer-generated images interactively and in real-time.Stereoscopic capability is also becoming an important tool in such areas as multimedia, 3D visualization,