Vision Station is a computer display technology developed by Elumens that provides 180 degrees of viewing angle for its users. Current computer screens have at most a 50-degree field of view and needs the user to move the controller in order to see the images that are not on the screen. This motion is unnatural because in the real world, users use their peripheral vision to see things beyond the direct line of sight. This new display technology will address this limitation of standard computer monitors. With Vision Station, users can detect and react to things that are within their peripheral vision, thus enhancing the immersive quality of the game or application.

Vision Station was developed by Elumens. It consists of a curved satellite dish-like surface, a wide angle projector lens and a high-resolution data projector. All these together give the user a 180-degree field of view that takes away the need to move the controller in order to see images to the right, top or bottom of the image in front of the user; they also give the user a real sense of motion without the peripheral distractions that are experienced when using a regular computer monitor.

Elumens Vision Station Series

Elumens Vision Station has several models ranging from those able to accommodate one user to those able to accommodate 45 persons. The smallest is the standard Vision Station which is 41 inches deep by 65 inches wide by 63 inches tall and can accommodate only one user. The VS-3 is more than twice the size of the standard VS and can accommodate one to six persons. The V-4 Vision Dome that uses LightShell technology can accommodate up to ten persons. The V-5 Vision Dome, which is the largest of the series, can accommodate up to 45 persons.

Vision Station

Advantages of the Vision Station

The Vision Station is much better than current computer monitor technology for several reasons. Vision Station can provide a more immersive and realistic experience by providing peripheral images to its user. Furthermore, it is easier to set up, a lot more portable, scalable, less complicated and less cumbersome than virtual reality equipments. Lastly, it can accommodate not only computer-generated 3-D data but real data as well.

The Technology behind Vision Station

Elumens Vision Station uses TruTheta imaging technology to provide the 180-degree by 135-degree image that the user sees. The imaging technology uses a combination of advanced 3-D software and a special projector lens to produce the high quality image of the hemispherical display area. These in turn serve to make the images evenly bright and in focus.

Three-dimensional images are created using the four-camera process in which the scene is run through a 3-D animation program with the main camera doing the original recording. This main camera is then used to produce the other four angles that will make the 3-D image complete. Finally, the images from the five cameras are then combined to produce the 180-degree image with a 1024 x 1024 image resolution.