Three-dimensional display technologies of recent interest: principles, status, and issues [Invited]

TLDR

Recent 3D display research explores both legacy and emerging technologies, from autostereoscopic ray fields to holographic wave fields, with the first commercial product sparking new studies and the ultimate goal of seamless see‑through displays still hindered by occlusion challenges. Researchers are investigating next‑generation commercial candidates to overcome current limitations of 3D displays.

Abstract

Recent trends in three-dimensional (3D) display technologies are very interesting in that both old-fashioned and up-to-date technologies are being actively investigated together. The release of the first commercially successful 3D display product raised new research topics in stereoscopic display. Autostereoscopic display renders a ray field of a 3D image, whereas holography replicates a wave field of it. Many investigations have been conducted on the next candidates for commercial products to resolve existing limitations. Up-to-date see-through 3D display is a concept close to the ultimate goal of presenting seamless virtual images. Although it is still far from practical use, many efforts have been made to resolve issues such as occlusion problems.