Nvidia & 3D Internet

GigaOm has an interesting post related to Nvidia's Nvision Conference. While the information isn't specifically about 3D/stereoscopic displays, it does show some other innovations for presenting information in a new way. Here's an excerpt.

Startups like Bumptop, which is creating a 3-D desktop interface that screams out for touch screens; Cooliris, developers of PicLens visual web site displays; and SpaceTime, which allows for viewing the web in 3-D (it’s like tabbed browsing taken to the next level) all are pushing what people call the 3-D Internet. Other firms such as SeeFront and Spatial View (a SeeFront licensee) enable 3-D displays.

http://gigaom.com/2008/08/25/nvidia-pushes-the-3-d-internet/

StereorMirror Visits Beijing

Every four years the International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) organization holds a conference with worldwide participation. The quadrennial conference is synchronized with Summer Olympics and, this year, it coincided with the Olympic site as well. About two javelin throws from Beijing’s new Bird’s Nest stadium, a different group of well-trained experts assembled to see the latest developments in imaging, software and hardware for photogrammetry.

We demonstrated our StereoMirror technology to a good portion of the 3,000 people that attended the meeting. Planar stereo monitors could also be found in booths belonging to photogrammetry software leaders ERDAS (formerly Leica Geosystems), Intergraph, DAT/EM Systems International and Inpho. In addition to showing aerial images for photogrammetry, we highlighted the superior image quality of our monitors with a slideshow of the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and the nearby Olympic sites. Unfortunately, the stereo pictures of the Summer Palace and The Great Wall were not captured until the exhibition had concluded. We'll have to bring those to the 2012 ISPRS meeting in Melbourne, Australia.

In addition to the image quality and viewing comfort, there were many visitors that appreciated the open viewing angle for collaboration. Whether standing or sitting, it was easy for 3 or 4 people to gather around the SD2020 and see high quality stereo imagery. It was a great to talk with people from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Thailand, The Netherlands, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and others. There was also plenty of local interest that will keep our new distributor in China busy.

Schrödinger User Symposium

I spent a couple days at the Schrödinger User Symposium in Portland recently. I was really impressed with the topics presented at the conference. I was humbled at how little I know about computational chemistry, but I appreciate the geniuses working in drug discovery. For example, one speaker (Michael Podvinec) shared about the development of drugs to treat a viral infection called Dengue Fever. This disease affects 50 million people and kills 12,000 per year . The people working on a cure or vaccine for this and other deadly diseases analyze complex 3D molecules to determine whether compounds can perform a needed function. Although I don’t understand the composition and functionality of these drugs – I was a physics guy – I do see the need to have an accurate understanding of the three-dimensional structure of these molecules and binding sites.

Many computational chemists use stereo to analyze complex molecules. We showed our StereoMirror technology to the symposium attendees and had a very positive response. A number of Maestro users said our monitor was the best stereo display they had ever seen. I believe we can provide a very good tool for viewing protein structures in 3D without compromising the image quality or comfort that people are used to seeing on a 2D monitor. Perhaps an SD monitor will contribute to the success of developing a cure for some awful disease. I hope so.

Bjork in 3D

U2 isn't the only artist playing with 3D. Bjork's new video Wanderlust also explores the potential of 3D. You can check out this time elapse footage of some of the production.




Or see a 2D version of Wanderlust.

3D Cinema Boom

The market for 3-D cinema is getting even more mainstream media coverage these days. This time, it's Fortune, getting in the mix with "Who's Cashing In on the 3-D Boom?" The article is solid overview of the various players, including the production side of the business.

Shooting 3-D films used to be a nightmare; you needed a pair of perfectly synced cameras for every scene. Shooting digital 3-D is easier, but you still need a two-camera setup that captures images fast enough to play back at 144 frames a second (rather than 24). The leader in the field is Pace Technologies, based in Burbank, Calif. Founder Vince Pace, best known for the underwater rigs he built to shoot "Abyss" and "Titanic," has now shifted his entire production business to 3-D. His equipment has been used to make every major 3-D feature film so far, including "Hannah Montana," "Avatar," and "Journey."

http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/03/technology/cash_3D_boom.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008040706

ABC News Includes Footage of Planar's StereoMirror

We are very proud of our involvement in the clinical studies at Emory University. The results of this study were previewed at RSNA and receieved a lot of media coverage. Now ABC News has covered the story, and their video footage includes prominent shots of Planar's StereoMirror.

See the complete coverage by ABC News. Be sure to go to clip #3 for the story "Seeing Mammograms Like Never Before."Visit Planar3D for more more details about the clinical study.

Trends in Medical Displays

Planar's Chief Scientist, Adi Abileah, recently presented on Trends in Medical Displays. There is a lot of great content here, including coverage on Planar's StereoMirror and stereoscopic displays.

The presentation is available on SlideShare.

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