1. The Imaging & Displays Research Group Dr Ian Sexton, Group Leader 3DTV@dmu.ac.uk

2. About the I.D.R.G. Our work involves a wide variety of application domains including: computer graphics, virtual reality, telepresence, as well as 3-Dimensional display systems.

3. About the I.D.R.G. The IDRG has been active at DMU for over 10 years, with many successful PhD students working with us, and we are happy to enjoy an excellent research reputation. The research group is led by myself and currently has a staff of three Research Fellows. Historically we have always enjoyed wide and diverse support both at home and abroad.

4. Funding the I.D.R.G. Recent major projects: European: –‘ATTEST’ (€6.0 million) –‘3D-TV’ (€6.2 million) –‘COGAIN’ (€2.9 million) –‘MUTED’ (€4.5 million) UK: –‘SRIF3’ (£500K) –‘KTP’ (£120K)

5. Our current work… Our current work primarily involves 3-D displays: These are ‘autostereoscopic’ displays that show the viewers one image for their left eye, and another image for their right eye - without the use of specialised eye wear. By showing a different image to each eye the image on the display looks 3-dimensional, more ‘real’ and more ‘involving’, and more like the real world.

6. Our current work… Our research aim is to produce a 3-D display that is: Autostereoscopic (no glasses). Multiple viewer (more than one viewer can see 3-D). Mobile viewer (no fixed viewing position). This makes our display well suited for television.

7. Our current work… The next few pages very briefly describe our prototypes of these displays...

8. Multi-viewer 3D display… Our display is based on projecting left and right eye images into space at the left and right eye positions of viewers. Multiple projections can be made to cater for many viewers, and the projections can be steered to follow the eyes of viewers as they move. Steerable projections 3D display Multiple viewers Right eye image projection Left eye image projection

9. MUTED project display… Our MUTED project display employs an RGB laser light source. The optics of the display are coupled to a head tracker and direct the RGB illumination through a front LCD to the eyes of the viewers. Mobile viewers are accommodated by steering the direction of the illumination. RGB LASER LCOS LCD OPTICAL ARRAY MOBILE VIEWERS HEAD TRACKER

10. Front panel… The video shows a camera moving between the left and right eye positions on our prototype. You can see the transition between green (right eye) and red (left eye) illumination – showing that two images are being generated, one for each eye, from the same screen.

11. Smart optics… Viewer movement is facilitated by a novel array of lenses and light sources that produce steerable beams of light. Each lens is illuminated by the RGB laser (shown here with LEDs for clarity). As a viewer moves, so does the position of the light source. The light beam follows the viewer’s eyes.

12. Miniature light array… We have also developed novel miniature high- brightness light arrays for evaluation before we move to RGB laser illumination.

13. Miniature lens array… We have also developed novel miniature lens arrays.

14. Miniature lens array with laser light source… We are now evaluating using the light array with a laser light source. The picture shows illumination for a left and right eye being generated from one light array element and a single laser. The two separate beams of illumination are clearly defined.

15. Miniaturised light steering… Many miniature lenses are combined to form an array to illuminate the full width of the screen. Here the video shows the illumination being steered. Viable commercial solution?

16. Next steps… The next step in our work is to combine our front screen with our novel light steering array… This will form the World’s first 3-Dimensional, autostereoscopic television display, that allows freedom of movement to multiple viewers. You are welcome to see our prototype screen and light steering array, as well as a range of other 3-dimensional displays in the I.D.R.G. laboratory this afternoon.

17. The Imaging & Displays Research Group Thank you for your time. Please come and visit us in Gateway House Room 5.81 Or contact me, Dr Ian Sexton: 3DTV@dmu.ac.uk