Tech developers have recently introduced a spherical display that allows viewers to view — and interact with — 3D images and animations.
According to an August 25 IEEE Spectrum article, the Spheree, developed by researchers from Brazil’s University of São Paulo and Canada’s University of British Columbia, is “the first display capable of projecting uniform, high resolution pixels on a spherical surface.”
Viewers are also able to interact with the 3D images displayed on the Spheree with simple, intuitive gestures via the Leap Motion interface — much like the way a gamer plays a Nintendo wii game by moving the wii’s remote.
To create its spherical display, Spheree consists of eight image projectors that are placed around the base of the globe. Software then “blends” the images from these eight projectors into one consistent 3D image that looks uniform when viewed from any angle, IEEE Spectrum reports.
Another fascinating feature that Spheree offers is its six infrared cameras which track the movements of a special headband the viewer can wear. This makes the animations highly responsive to the viewer’s position in relation to the Spheree’s projection globe, according to the IEEE Spectrum article.
“I think we’re going to see a lot more interaction with 3D content in the future,” says Mike Arsenault, Chair of Design at Digital Media Arts College. “Starting with the Oculus Rift, and now this spherical display, there are a lot of exciting advancements in the field of 3d computer generated images.”
While the Spheree and the technology that went into making it are just the beginning of seeing 3D animations on display in three dimensions, this device could be the beginning of something amazing in the film animation and movie-going world.