The future of 3D? Sony’s Eye-sensing Light Field Display (ELFD)

[_J.G.M_]

When you think of 3D, those red and blue paper glasses the local cinema used to hand out probably spring to mind, as well as pretty low-quality offerings, or maybe you even get notions of motion sickness.

Sony’s Eye-sensing Light Field Display – or ELFD – is being developed to solve these issues and drive 3D technology forward. By working together with creators to develop not only the content but also the production environment, it’s set to become popular in a wide range of fields, many you’d probably never have even considered.

Read on to find out exactly what ELFD is and how you can expect to see it filter into everyday life.

What is an ELFD display?

ELFD is a display that allows you to see objects in 3D volumetrically - as if they were right there in front of you. Visible to the naked eye (goodbye awkward 3D glasses!), users can experience 3D computer graphics in high definition from different angles.

See it in action here.

Developers expect the technology to be applied in a variety of settings, from the monitors that content producers use to create their work, to straight-up entertainment for consumers, or even showroom displays. Take designers, for example: before creating a mock-up of a new product, they could check the volume, texture and appearance using ELFD, helping to optimise their products faster and save on production costs.

How does it work?

ELFD uses three of Sony’s proprietary technologies:

1. High-speed, high-accuracy, real-time sensing technology

In order to make the user feel as if the object is real, it’s essential to continuously display the correct image and viewpoint, based on the position of their eyes. Sony’s unique vision sensors and face recognition algorithms achieve this, with the position of both eyes detected in real-time, not only for horizontal and vertical planes, but also for depth.

2. Real-time light field rendering technology

Based on the user’s position, ELFD calculates how the object would appear through the user’s eyes if it were placed inside the display and converts this information into a picture on the display’s surface. In combination with a micro-optical lens technology that constantly delivers images for both eyes, a light source is emitted from the display panel, and since it is delivered in real-time with extreme accuracy, the user feels like the object is actually there.

3. High-precision 3D display technology

Whilst there have been other 3D displays that do not require glasses, they could not accurately present 3D images due to low resolution and crosstalk between the eyes. ELFD makes full use of Sony’s high-speed vision sensor with a unique micro-optical lens that utilises eye tracking to overcome this and deliver an experience like nothing before.

Where did the idea originate?

Sony did create a 3D TV with 3D glasses in the past, but where the technology really took off was in the medical field, where our team developed an extremely high-precision, naked-eye 3D display for medical use. In applying this technology and examining the optimal placement of the display panel and viewpoint image, the first prototype of ELFD was born

It ties in with Sony’s mission to bring the ‘creator’s intent’ to life, because not only is ELFD impressive on a technical level, but it’s also a vehicle for creators to express their ideas. This is why we worked so closely with creators during its development, creating a software development kit (SDK) that supports the content production industry’s most popular platforms so we could get feedback, make improvements, and create a better product together.

What’s been the reaction so far?

At CES 2020, we had people queueing up to try ELFD, with lots of positive feedback and useful suggestions.

At InfoComm 2020, the largest professional audio-visual trade show in North America, we won the AV Technology Best of Show Special Edition.

What’s next for ELFD?

To maximise the use of ELFD, we need content that highlights its potential, which is why we continue to work with creators in production, viewing, and distribution.

Currently, ELFD works by limiting the display to a small rectangular parallelepipedal area for one viewer, so next we’ll be developing its ability to be viewed by multiple users at once, and larger displays. We are also improving its real-time sensing, support for displays with higher frame rates, and faster rendering, so the subject remains in place even when the viewer is moving quickly.

The potential for this technology is huge, in everything from entertainment to education to B2B applications. Developers have long been dreaming of creating a 3D experience that could be mistaken for the real thing, and ELFD could just be it.

This article has been adapted from a piece on Sony.net. The original can be found here: https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/technology/stories/LFD/