Aircord Lab's N-3D concept turns an iPad into world's second least practical 3D display (video)
By Tim Stevens 
posted July 28th 2010 11:38AM
posted July 28th 2010 11:38AM
posted July 28th 2010 11:38AM
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I dont see the 3d part
@TheIndyGamer It's a stretch... basically three perspectives of the same object.
@TheIndyGamer
a pyramid has 3 Direction Triangles
hence the 3D
@TheIndyGamer Its not 3D, its N-3D. Whatever that is.
Looks more like 3 separate images on 3 separate planes... kinda like having, three screens?
@TheIndyGamer
You probably already realize that watching a 2D video of a 3D demonstration results in not seeing 3D.
@akindy because as we all know Avatar is in true hologram 3D....
@TheIndyGamer Gotta have a 3D monitor to see it...
@TheIndyGamer
Would've been much easier to see if they used a static 3D object rather than some abstract thing that changed so often you couldn't tell if it was another perspective or something altogether different....
I already think 3D is a gimmick, but it's gone too far when people are making a gimmick of a gimmick.
@Squalor Considering the iPad is involved for no real reason, it's like a gimmick inside and gimmick inside a gimmick... They must have found a good chemist for the drug!
@Squalor
Yeah because stereoscopic vision and depth perception are just sooo overrated, right?
Or are you some kind of cyclops that was born with only one eye?
@Hazdaz My daughter has only one Eye, this is a Gimmick, because she can't perceive the 3D of all this "3D TVs".... real 3D can be seen with only one eye, when you move your head (do yourself a favor and try to perceive 3D with your hand over one eye, and you'll understand).
And next time, think what you're writing before posting it
@johnvillar You are a hero.
@johnvillar
:facepalm:
You clearly don't understand anything about stereoscopic vision if you think you can achieve that with only one eye. The ONLY reason that you can still kind of perceive pseudo-depth if you cover one eye is because the brain is so used to seeing things stereoscopically that it can fudge the effect. That is also why certain optical illusions work so well because the brain is "expecting" to see something, even if that is not what it is really seeing.
Do you have any other nuggets of stupidity that you want to share with us though? Maybe you want to claim that you don't need taste buds to taste foods or olfactory sensory cells to smell? But I think you've proven that you don't need a brain to post stupid replies online.
@johnvillar That's not really the same thing as having two eyes. Why do you think we're born with two eyes? It's our strongest cue for depth when the two images are offset. :) It's not to say you can't judge depth with one eye, but it is limited at best. Unless a movie is filmed in 360 degrees, supports head-tracking, and the movie watching experience is radically altered (walking around a scene in realtime instead of sitting and watching a pre-rendered shot...which is more likely a video game experience than a movie), your daughter will never experience 3D movies w/ or w/out glasses, unfortunately. However, offering a current 3D movie to users that can experience it makes no change to those that can't since they continue to watch movies as they always have. Even if they go to a 3D movie, they can put on the glasses and see the one view for that eye just fine.
@johnvillar I hate to break it to you, but one person's disability can't be allowed to hold back everything else. We have books and television despite blind people, and music and radio despite deaf people. We have stereoscopic 3D despite one-eyed people. It's just how life works.
@johnvillar I have one eye that's at 40%. I don't see 3D. My brain isn't able to process a good and a blurry picture into 3D objects.
Your daughter isn't able to see 3D because you need two eyes to see 3D. The brain needs those two images from two different eyes to put it together into 3D.
Your daugther sees the world in 2D and always will for the rest of her life, just like me. All the both of us will ever see is two different angles of an object in rapid succession which kind of transports a pseudo-3D effect. That is not real 3D. It doesn't give us depth-perception. And again, it never will
@lostincake
a gimmick inside of a gimmick inside of a gimmick
Sounds like Inception 2 has the go ahead.
Now imagine a super sized one you could stand in. Like straight out of Iron Man 2
3-D gets upset when you clap your hands at it apparently.
@Elduderino2412 In soviet Russia Angry 3D claps at you!
well it's a toy, and nothing more than that, but damn thats cool!
it's not 3d at all. it's ridiculous to see everyone reporting it as such. it's just a reflection of a plane. so it's still a plane.
ridiculous.
if i have two different inputs for my eyes, then it's 3d. this is not.
@davepermen
Ditto. I am a proponent of 3D, but this is just stupid.
Nice "Time Traveler" game reference Engadget.
But you don't necessarily need an iPad to make this work, right? Any LCD screen should do as long as it's at least as big as the iPad, right? Right??
This is only the "least practical", but also the least 3D 3D display.
As impractical as this is, i think it's still a pretty cool idea.
The title is wrong on so many levels, it adds another dimension to this 2-D article.
Cool idea, but from what it looks like, this is definitely NOT stereoscopic 3D. They are projecting only 3 images, so depending upon which plane you are looking at, it would still be flat. Still, it is cool, but maybe Engadget should actually learn a little about 3D before they report on stuff like that... after all, you guys still are trying to use the terms "3D" and "Stereo3D" as if they were interchangeable.
@Hazdaz Ouch! Dude I said "changeable perspective as you move from side to side" and I was hardly flattering to the thing. What more do you want?
Actually, it reminds me of an old toy truck I had when I was 2 years old... basically the windows each had a sticker containing a picture of the driver from a different 90 degree angle. Cartoon Network's "Boomerang" channel parodies it using the Scooby Doo imprinted on the windows of a Mystery Machine toy in one of their programming eye-catches.
@TimStevens
You guys have consistently been using the wrong nomenclature for what is perceived to be stereo3D. And I know it's not just you guys, but I don't expect a car site or some knitting site to use the proper terminology... I do however expect for a tech-related site to know the difference between simple 3D and stereoscopic 3D.
3D is WAAAAAY too much of a vague term. It can mean anything from 3D polygon-based graphics (like in most 1st person shooters), or it can mean actual physical 3D models that you can hold in your hand. Stereoscopic 3D is the term that should be used when one means a 2D display that uses 2 different images for each eye to give the illusion of depth. This particular case is actually neither of those. It is trying to be a "hologram" and float an image in thin air, but because there are only 3 combined images, the effect doesn't really work.
I am giving you guys a hard time simply because I expect more from a site devoted to, and run by, people that love technology. Well that, and the fact that it fun to bust on a former Scooby-fan.
BTW... Anyone remember that "laser keyboard" from a while back that'd turn any flat surface into a useable keyboard? If that thing works with the iPad, you could project the keyboard onto the unused base of the pyramid for text enfry. Now wouldn't that be cool in a TRON sort of way?!
@Hazdaz I neither used the term "stereoscopic" nor implied that that's what's going on here, so I therefore read your comment as sour grapes.
Also, I still love my Subaru... despite the rust on the fenders, paint peeling off the hood scoop, and exhaust bracket that decided to detach itself on the way back from Lime Rock over the weekend.
@Hazdaz
Hazdaz is spot on.
@Chibi Chaingun He's totally wrong. As I clearly stated I still love my Subaru.
@TimStevens I hate your Subaru! *runs*
@TimStevens
I know you didn't use the term "stereoscopic" but did use 3d as if you were implying it was stereo. (Yes i know its confusing and that's why it would be nice if tech sites started using the proper terminology.
Anyways a little rust makes a Scooby look more distinguished but there's no way anyone could possibly have as many chips on their hood as i do. And i gotta admit that i've lived here my whole life and unfortunately never been up to LR.
This is fucking awesome....Instructions on how to make this =
lol its the AT&T logo.
Im waiting for holograms
@Brt312
This is actually more of a hologram than "3D".
This is not stereoscopic. It is not 3D. It might be called a 360 degree display, but even that is a stretch. It is really more like a magic trick: playing with reflections, angles, and perspective.
Google Dreamoc, Cheoptics, RealFiction, or Vizoo. Same idea, except these guys used an iPad and basically exposed how the magic trick works.
fake 3D is fake
Wow, impressive.
NOT!
@Gandalf20000
Really. While the idea of this is neat and all, but let's be real here. If not for the use of an iPad, this would not even get half as much attention. They could have done this with any old LCD monitor.
you want 3D on the iPad? there is a glass pyramid for it!
I can't see tge video on my iPhone!
I know I know, it seems like I'm trolling but if they make an app especially foe the iPhone the could code the video they post to be iPhone friendly. ( or Steve could allow flash!) but seeing as how everybody says engadget is paid off by apple maybe they could so this at least for me.
Plus thisvpost has something to do with an apple product.
I don't want to be a troll, but I think I might be becoming one on this issue.
Hate to rain on everyone's parade but this tech has been around for a few decades. It's how they do the ghosts at Disney World and Land on the Haunted Mansion Ride.