A technology that allows you to watch 3D movies with your bare eyes without stereoscopic glasses is becoming a reality through the research of Professor Kookheon Cha of Seoul National University. This technology, based on the research of polymer thin films in chemical biology, has the potential to be applied to various industries and is expected to be utilized in future daily life, including virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).
Since James Cameron’s Avatar became a worldwide box office hit, many action and fantasy movies have been made in 3D. I haven’t seen Avatar myself, but I’ve seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 3D, which followed the craze. While the stereoscopic experience was definitely better than traditional 2D movies, I found the need to wear stereoscopic glasses while watching the movie to be a hassle, especially for someone who normally wears glasses. This is a common problem for non-glasses wearers as well. Not only do the frames of stereoscopic glasses interfere with vision, but the pressure on the nose is also one of the causes of discomfort. Therefore, ‘a technology that can watch 3D movies with bare eyes’ has been a major challenge for 3D imaging technologists for a long time. Professor Kookheon Cha of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Seoul National University has made an important breakthrough to solve this problem. The Arrays of Lucius Microprism technology developed by his research team is a revolutionary technology that allows people to watch 3D movies with their bare eyes without glasses.
How 3D imaging works and polarization
The reason we routinely perceive the world in 3D is because we have two eyes. For example, if you hold an apple in front of you and alternately close one eye and open the other, you’ll notice that the apple looks slightly different when viewed with the left eye and the right eye. This is because there is a gap of about 6 centimeters between the two eyes. This small difference causes the brain to combine the information coming from the two eyes and perceive it as three dimensional.
Modern 3D movies are created using this principle. To see a 3D movie, the visual information coming into each eye must be different. The stereoscopic glasses used in movie theaters are the tools that create this difference. Stereoscopic glasses have polarizing filters that direct light from different polarization directions to different eyes. Light is an electromagnetic wave that propagates as electric and magnetic fields oscillate perpendicular to each other. The direction in which the electric field oscillates is called the polarization direction. Natural light is a mixture of light with different polarization directions. The polarizing filters attached to the lenses of stereoscopic glasses allow only light of a certain polarization direction to pass through, which is why the left and right eyes perceive different images.
Glasses-free 3D imaging technology: Lucius prism arrays
Lucius prism arrays are not the first glasses-free 3D video display technology. Previously, technologies such as the Parallax Barrier method existed, but they suffered from instabilities that caused 2D and 3D to convert depending on the viewing angle. This had the side effect of causing dizziness or distracting video viewers.
However, Lucius prism array technology solved that problem. It uses a film of microscopic prisms (triangular columns) tens of micrometers in size. One side of the prisms is coated with a special substance that absorbs light, which directs it only in the desired direction. This ensures that no matter what angle the viewer is looking from, the image is tailored to each eye, providing a natural 3D effect. Thanks to this technology, you no longer need to wear stereoscopic glasses to enjoy 3D movies.
Future applications in chemical biology
Lucius prism array technology isn’t just limited to 3D movies – it’s part of polymer thin film research, which has many potential applications. Polymer thin film research utilizes nanotechnology to fabricate very thin films and control their properties. This research could be widely applied to future high-value-added technologies such as organic transistors, organic solar cells, semiconductors, and more. In particular, the technology could be easily attached to existing liquid crystal displays to enable 3D imaging, which could be used in a variety of consumer electronics such as home TVs and smartphone displays. It will also be cost-effective, making it readily available to many households.
The evolution of 3D imaging technology and our everyday lives
The evolution of 3D imaging technology started in the movie industry, but it’s now expanding into our everyday lives. With virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies rapidly advancing, 3D displays have the potential to go beyond entertainment and revolutionize education, healthcare, manufacturing, and more. For example, in healthcare, 3D images can help plan complex surgeries with greater precision, and in manufacturing, 3D design models can be visualized in scale to improve the design process.
Eventually, 3D imaging technology will become an increasingly important part of our daily lives – not just by allowing us to watch 3D movies without stereoscopic glasses, but by providing realistic visual experiences in a wide range of digital environments. With technological advances in chemical biology at the heart of these changes, future research and development will only enrich our lives.
