Virtual Sound Source

A round holoroom. The voices of people (holograms) walking through the room should be as if originating from the place where the person is located. For that we need located sound.

Sa, b and c are sounds that cannot be heard. ST is audible sound that sounds as if originated from this spot. I found this book on "3-D Sound for Virtual Reality and Multimedia" by Durand R. Begault. Second chapter is about spatial hearing. But this still gives the listener the impersion of sounds coming from a side and distance. I think we need a movable sound source or rebuild technology to let sound originate from any coordinate in the holoroom. Maybe article by Matti Gröhn gives a better view on located soud. 3-D Sound gives 121.000 hits with Google. "Virtual Sound Source" gives 12.500 hits.

Holoferencing discovered by Google

Mark this point in time. Google gives 1 hit on holoferencing. Google did not find this word anywhere else on the Internet. It is not special for Google to find the word as this blog is powered by Blogger, which is Google. But it looks special doesn't it?

Heliodisplay

The mid-air display is capable of projeting an image in free-space. IO2Technology shows the M2 and M2i supporting up to a 30" diagonal (4:3 aspect) image. The "i' version also support interaction with the image "floating: above the system. This technology comes closer to the solution needed to "project" images is free space in a holoroom. It does not show if and how information is captured. Is there a 3D camara available? Google gives 84.400 hits on "heliodisplay". On "free space display" it shows 720. "Mid air display" only gives 216 hits.

Autostereo 3D Display and Volumetric Display

Further research brought me to the following technologies for displaying images in a 3-dimensional way which seems to me of basis importance to develop the holoroom.

Autostereo 3D Display is being worked on at Cambridge University. They have a nice explanation on this technology which is based on displaying many "pictures" shortly after each other and so causing autostereoscopic vision. A display is needed. One can look at the display but not walk in the display, around the object. Google gives 1.110 hits on Autostereo Display and 50 on Autostereo 3D Display.

Volumetric Display is being worked on by the University of Toronto. A description on how one can interact with this display is given in this document. This also is a display, although with dome form. One can also not be in the same (holo)room with the object. Google gives 26.000 hits on Volumetric Display.

Is there a future in using one of those technologies for making images available in a holoroom?