Mid-air imaging technique for architecture in public space

Abstract

Mid-air imaging is promising for glasses-free mixed reality systems in which the viewer does not need to wear any special equipment. However, it is difficult to install an optical system in a public space because conventional designs expose the optical components and disrupt the field of view. In this paper, we propose an optical system that can form mid-air images in front of building walls. This is achieved by installing optical components overhead. It displays a vertical mid-air image that is easily visible in front of the viewer. Our contributions are formulating its field of view, measuring the luminance of mid-air images formed with our system by using a luminance meter, psychophysical experiments to measure the resolution of the mid-air images formed with our system, and selection of suitable materials for our system. As a result, we found that highly reflective materials, such as touch display, transparent acrylic board, and white porcelain tile, are not suitable for our system to form visible mid-air images. We prototyped two applications for proof of concept and observed user reactions to evaluate our system.

Mirror‐Transcending Aerial Imaging (MiTAi): An optical system that freely crosses the boundary between mirrored and real spaces

“…Optical systems implemented by MMAP and other reflective materials such as shiny table surfaces, 12 water surfaces, 13 and floors 14 enable the display of aerial images that are more in harmony with the environment without making the optical elements visible. There is also an evaluation of glossy materials that can display aerial images 15 . Aerial imaging by retro‐reflection (AIRR) 4 is an aerial imaging optical system that consists of a retro‐reflector, a beam splitter, and a light source.…”

“…There is also an evaluation of glossy materials that can display aerial images. 15 Aerial imaging by retro-reflection (AIRR) 4 is an aerial imaging optical system that consists of a retro-reflector, a beam splitter, and a light source. In AIRR, the beam splitter is placed at an angle to the retro-reflector, the light source is placed vertically to the retro-reflector, and an aerial image is displayed at a plane-symmetrical position to the light source with respect to the beam splitter.…”

Simulation of mid-air images using combination of physically based rendering and image processing

“…The following examples are specifically related to the objectives of this study. Deco-wall [16] is a device that displays a midair image in front of an observer by reflecting light on a glossy material. Moreover, Fairlift [17] uses water surfaces as the display surface.…”