Sony Expanding 3D Horizon With R&D In Augmented & Virtual Reality

Japanese consumer electronics giant Sony is continuing to explore the possibilities of 3D technology, with significant research and development poured into this area. The company recently revealed that it has a number of different R&D projects underway involving the third dimension, which are all ultimately aimed at providing consumers with various forms of state-of-the-art home entertainment.

Sony 3D head-mounted display a virtual reality?

Speaking in an interview in advance of a 3D-themed conference, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) Worldwide Studios Europe’s vice president Mick Hocking touched upon a number of innovations that would enhance different aspects of home entertainment for the public. One of these was augmented reality, which he said was really important in gaming, as it helped players to really immerse themselves in the game for a truly thrilling experience. He said that the success of 3D games could open the door for the technology to be deployed successfully on devices such as mobile phones, laptops and internet tablets. While augmented reality is already used in gaming, the current level of technology is only scratching the surface, he stressed.

Mr Hocking also talked about 3D sculpting, which involves 3D visualisation on a HDTV screen being enhanced by head-tracking sensors. This allows the 3D image to be adjusted in accordance with the viewer’s position, and can create a realistic “pseudo-holographic” effect. Explaining that viewers would be able to see all aspects of objects with this technology just as they would see them in the real world, he added that this technology could be up and running in the “not too distant future”.

Another area that Sony has been looking into is virtual reality, which for many people is something that they associate with Sci-Fi movies rather than something that they could be using for themselves in the near future. This technology was showcased by Sony at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2011 in Las Vegas, where the company showed off its OLED-based 3D head-mounted display (HMD) which allows viewers to indulge in their favourite tri-dimensional content directly via the headset.

Source: b.TWEEN 3D