Stereoscope
Latest
3D stereoview 'VR' hellscapes from the 1860s
Not long after photography was born, someone figured out that showing each eye slightly shifted views of the same image makes you think you're seeing a three-dimensional scene. That idea gave birth to stereoscopic imagery, 3D movies and, eventually, VR. (Victorian stereoscopes even look like steampunk versions of modern VR headsets).
DIY stereoscopic splitter takes your pictures to the third dimension
Don't feel like shelling out the cash for a 3D camera? Instructables user "courtervideo" has put together a little device that harnesses the magical, mysterious power of something called a "mirror" to let you grab stereoscopic 3D images with your regular ol' 2D camera. The method is pretty straight forward: two large mirrors places beside the camera reflect the image you're trying to capture onto two smaller mirrors, which are then photographed. The result can then be viewed through a stereoscope, which will send one half of the picture to each eye, resulting in a 3D image. We like to think of the stereoscope as the Victorian precursor to Chinavasion Video Glasses. Sounds like fun to us! Hit up the source link to get started.
TWISTER: goggle-free 3D rotating panoramic display
In a device eerily akin to teleportation machines seen in major motion pictures (seriously, check it after the break), the Telexistence Wide-angle Immersive STEReoscope aims to "immerse viewers in a 3D video environment" sans those pesky goggles. Developed by a team at the University of Toyko, TWISTER is being hailed as the "world's first full-color 360-degree 3D display that does not require viewers to wear special glasses," and it's finally coming together after a decade of work. Within the cylindrical, rotating device, you'll find some 50,000 LEDs that give off the illusion of a three-dimensional object without any ocular aids. Moreover, the team is already looking into the possibility of adding 3D videophone technology to spruce up video telephony, but we'd be totally content with a couple rounds of Halo in this thing.[Via PinkTentacle]
