|
Concept & Overview |
|
Pop Up! is an innovative approach to display 3D objects by orchestrating the vertical motion of a dense array of pin-rods. The effect is similar to a children's "Pop up book", where a flat surface transforms into a 3D form. Each pixel is composed of a simple component, and the driving method is scalable so that displays of any size can be constructed in the same way. Pop Up! is a collective system of long stroke vertical pin-rods, using a coil-form Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) as an actuator. This material can be stretched or deformed from its original shape but would spontaneously return to its original shape when heated. To detect the height information, we use a pair of photo reflectors as a part of linear encoder (See figure #) placed perpendicular to each pin-rod. Positional information of the pin-rod from the photo reflectors is forwarded to a PC, which feeds back a control signal to the pin-rod according to the desired 3D shape. In this fashion, digital shape information of an object such as that acquired by rangefinder can be transmitted over a network and displayed in a remote location. The prototype we developed has a 16 by 16 array of pin-rods. We also endeavor for high-speed update rates, to the extent that it can display facial movement. |
Return Top
Tachi Laboratory Home Page