The virtual display case

Abstract

Looking at a picture on a screen is very different from looking at a solid object. But if the picture changes correctly as the observer moves, we can create the illusion that there is a solid object "just behind" the screen. We have built such a display using only a domestic quality video camera and a Macintosh PowerPC computer: The user wears a pair of special "glasses" that can easily be recognised in the image of the tracking camera. The display provides a starting point for a series of experiments in VR and latency issues.