Technology has enabled us to view movies in 3D, but it has also made us dizzy due to our subconscious detection of the differences between virtual 3D scenes and reality. A new technology that researchers at Carnegie Mellon University engineered has enabled natural accommodation cues in 3D displays. The key goal of producing a scene with 3D displays is to make it indistinguishable from reality. The only way a producer can accomplish that is by ensuring that the display tricks the perceptual cues that the human visual system uses to sense our surroundings. The eyes detect a large range of intensities, colors, as well as cues to perceive depth, a capability that 3D struggles to deceive.
The VR display that the researchers proposed enables the focal length of the lens to be modified. When the focal length is changed at high frequency, the proposed display doesn’t have the limitations that regular displays encounter. Vergence and accommodation are the two primary cues that the eyes use to perceive depth. Vergence occurs when the eyes rotate to move the same object to the center field of both eyes. Accommodation happens when the eye changes the focal length of the ocular lens to adjust an object into focus. Vergence helps the eyes to fixate on an object while accommodation cues help the eyes adjust an object into focus. Without vergence and accommodation, the eyes could not perceive depth well, according to Engineering.cmu.
The technology that Aswin Sankaranarayanan and Vijayakumar Bhagavatula, professors in electrical and computer engineering, have engineered generate numerous virtual displays situated at various depths. Their presentation is available on YouTube. Although the concept of placing layers of displays at various depths isn’t innovative, the technology that the researchers engineered provides unprecedented immersion by generating more displays than regular methods. One of the benefits of using the technology is that the display generates natural focus and defocus cues, thereby generating the accommodation cue.
The researchers stated that the proposed technology would benefit virtual and augmented reality devices. The researchers believe that their proposed technology will pave the way for a more immersive AR/VR experience. To find out more about 3D images, read 3D Holograms That Float in Thin Air.