3-D display screen tilts along multiple axes

A team of scientists from Bristol University (Bristol, UK) have developed a new type of display that physically moves to create a realistic 3-D image.

Their so-called "Tilt Displays" system is a display surface about half the size of a standard tablet, such as an iPad. A prototype of the concept consists of nine individual display components in a 3x3 array each of which can tilt along one or more axes and move vertically up and down.

Sriram Subramanian, a Professor of Human-Computer Interaction in Bristol University's Department of Computer Science said that the ability to tilt along multiple axes distinguishes the display from previous devices. He believes that such displays could be used in a range of applications such as terrain modeling and gaming.

Researchers from the Bristol University's Department of Computer Science will present the Tilt Displays at the MobileHCI 2012 conference (San Francisco, CA, USA) in a paper entitled "Tilt Displays: Designing Display Surfaces with Multi-axis Tilting and Actuation."

A video of Tilt Displays is available on YouTube here.

Recent developments in display technology that you might also be interested in.

1. A new vision for touch screen displays

Engineers at Tactus Technology (Fremont, CA, USA) have developed a deformable tactile surface called the "Tactile Layer" that enable buttons to rise up from the surface of a touch screen when an application calls for them to do so.

2. Camera makes Puffersphere interactive

An interactive spherical screen that can display images visible from all directions made its debut this year at the opening of the Missoni Hotel (Kuwait City, Kuwait).

3. 3-D display targets the military

Engineers at IEE (Van Nuys, CA) have integrated 3M’s 3-D optical film into a handheld Control Display Unit (CDU) that can be used in a variety of military training, visualization, and remote observation applications.

-- Dave Wilson, Senior Editor, Vision Systems Design