3M unveils 3D panels for portable devices
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Nov 3rd 2009 5:13PM
posted Nov 3rd 2009 5:13PM
Among its many virtues gadget-wise, 2009 has seen 3D technology go from irritating to... well, not quite so irritating. Of course, with so many companies working to develop a satisfactory way to bring the third dimension to our TVs and computers, it's only a matter of time before we find a device that accomplishes the goal without giving us a headache. And now 3M, who's been really digging their heels into display technology as of late, is debuting a 3D panel that eschews the glasses for something called conoscopy: the surface of the devices features a film with lenses on one side and prism structures on the other that display the corresponding left- and right-eye portions of the image. Currently available in both 9-inch and 2.8-inch LCD panels, the company is said to be gearing up for volume production, so it may not be long before they begin featuring on portable devices. Who knows? Maybe your dream of a 3D Gizmondo isn't dead after all! Get a closer look after the break.
conoscopy sounds like an operation I don't want to have done to me..
I initially misread it too.
I will stick with my 2d stuff, till holograms come up...
No you won't. Once you see Avatar in Imax 3D and you will, you'll change your mind. I will blow u away.
Wow, 3M makes everything
Including your mum!
Ok, I'm sorry, I couldn't have resisted :)
I've downranked myself already...
I'll wait till I get my Star Wars-like holographic communication device comes out.
/snore
Neat
it looks just like blurry 2-d to me!
That's because you're watching it on your blurry 2d screen!
New ideas for a PSP 4000?
God I hope so.
hell yeah they have my team on there.
go panthers.
ditto. go cats!
this is wack, no need for this just get a iphone 3gs
I saw some 3M film at the recent Frontiers in Optics conference; very impressive stuff, and no need for glasses. Looking forward to what 3M can bring in the future.
In some comments I have heard that the company name is SUMITOMO 3M. Who is this I read the SUMITOMO name quite frequently in last days. DOes anybody knows?
This is similar to the technique with lenticular foil on the screen. The problem these guys have had it knowing where the viewer is situated. Eye tracking helps. Does this technology avoid those problems? A comparison of the two would be quite interesting. I can image that a small handheld device avoids the problems in that the user positions the device in the right place.
By the way, we generally are only seeing 3D through stereoscopic vision in the near field. After 3 meters, it doesn't bring anything in real life. Anything that uses the stereoscope difference to look 3D is a simulation to project it into the area where we can see it.
Go Panthers!