The entire product and service chain of 3D stereoscopy will be on display under one roof at CeBIT 2011. A particular highlight will be Visenso GmbH’s cyber classroom.

In 1968, Dr. Ivan Sutherland presented the first “Head Mounted Display” (HMD), a monstrous device that had to be attached to the ceiling of the laboratory due to its weight. Its nickname was the “Sword of Damocles”. But even then, the 3D computer images were very impressive. These days, they are a permanent fixture in research, education and production. Whether it’s for pilot training, virtual prototypes or ergonomic tests – the benefits of an added dimension are not limited to the fields of medicine, research, aerospace, automotives and construction. Thanks to falling costs, stereoscopy is also used to visualize geoinformation, for building management, marketing, point of sale applications, tourism and advertising.

Until now, 3D glasses have been the most popular way of achieving the separation of both images that is necessary for generating the 3D effect. Shutter glasses, polarization filters or small liquid crystal screens that make alternate sides opaque up to 60 times per second are used. Now autostereoscopic displays are conquering the market. The main advantage of these is that you don’t need glasses. They produce three-dimensional pictures directly on the screen with the help of integrated aperture grills or lenticular grids, which disperse light in different directions. Tridelity AG, from Sankt Georgen in the Black Forest region of Germany, is a leading international manufacturer of these displays. At CeBIT 2011, it will be exhibiting, among other things, the world’s first and as yet only 3D screens in portrait format (mainly for the digital signage market) and the first device with medical approval.

Following the resounding success of CeBIT 2010, which was the first trade fair to provide a systematic overview of the topic, there will be even more exhibitors and space dedicated to 3D technology this year. The Fraunhofer Institute, ACL, Aiptek, Schneider Digital, Marchon Europe, Visualtektur, Megavision, e-Bi International and Shenzhen Handin Tech. are just some of the exhibitors who will be showcasing their products at individual company stands and at the group pavilion “Next Level 3D”. A particular highlight will be Visenso GmbH’s stand. This Stuttgart-based company, in addition to 3D simulations and visualizations for industry, research and culture, also developed the “cyber classroom”. A team of teachers, engineers and programmers worked together on this project. Thanks to the Visenso real-time 3D modules, scientific facts that used to be extremely hard to visualize can now be communicated much more effectively in the virtual classroom. The state-of-the-art 3D learning environment will be presented to the public at CeBIT (Hall 15).

www.cebit.de