Special Issue Image Technology of Next Generation. Stereoscopic Fusion Characteristics for a Synthetic Display between Real Objects and Stereoscopic Images

We are developing a Virtual Reality teleconferencing system that offers realistic sensations, and are exploring ways to synthesize real objects and stereoscopic images. We found that viewers felt it difficult to fuse stereoscopic images, even in fusion limit, when they were displayed with real objects. Because there is little information on the fusional limits in situations where real objects and stereoscopic images are synthesized, we examined this difficulty experimentally. The stereoscopic image was displayed on a 70-inch screen, and subjects viewed it by using liquid-crystal-shuttered glasses. The real object was placed to occlude the stereoscopic image. We changed the position and size ratio of these images and asked subjects to rate the difficulty of fusion. The results showed that fusion was extremely difficult when the stereoscopic image was displayed in front of the real object. We also experimentally evaluated situations in which the stereoscopic image moved, and obtained results similar to those obtained when it was stable.