A Volumetric Projection Display for Medical Applications

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): During this program Dimension Technologies Inc. (DTI) proposes to investigate a new type of volumetric display that can create very small (on the order of 2 cm on a side) 3D images and then project them to very large sizes (on the order of 1 m on a side or more). The projected images will be true space filling 3D optical images that can be viewed from a wide area with continuous parallax change and coincident focus and fixation points. The fact that the initial images are created in a very small space will greatly simplify the optical and electro mechanical subsystems used to create the images. This will result in much less expensive and robust components than those found in current volumetric displays, combined with the ability to create images in much larger sizes than current volumetric displays. This should ultimately translate into larger 3D displays at less cost. During the Phase I effort DTI will investigate key components and design issues associated with the proposed display concept, measure the optical and mechanical performance of key components, build a bench model to further test the concept, and identify one or more specific medical visualization applications where the proposed technology will offer significant advantages. The utility of 3D images for interpretation of complex CAT, NMRI, and ultrasound scans for diagnosis and surgical planning is well established, as is the use of such images in medical education and training. The display of images in true three dimensional form promotes more accurate and error free interpretation of images by enhancing the user's ability to interpret features, shape, and distance, and to see through clutter. Volumetric displays are ideal for displaying such images because they do not encumber the operators with headgear. In addition to various medical applications such a display would find wide use in terrain modeling, simulation, collaborative environments, scientific visualization, CAD, advertising, and entertainment, including arcade games.