MUTED - MULTI-USER 3D TELEVISION DISPLAY

SIXTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME
Specific Targeted Research Project - IST call 5
Micro/nano based sub-systems
Project No: IST-5-034099
Start: 2006 - Extended to: October 31, 2009
The final review of the MUTED project was held at Leicester on January 19, 2010

Project WEB site: http://www.muted3d.eu

The MUTED project will design and evaluate the next-generation of 3D autostereoscopic displays addressing the main barriers to their viability: lack of support for multiple mobile viewers and limited understanding of relevant human factors. All of the MUTED consortium members have proven competence in the field most recently demonstrated in the successful FP5 IST ATTEST project and the FP6 IST 3DTV Network of Excellence; both of which provide a solid baseline for the proposed research through their display, head tracking and human factors components. From the expertise and track record of its partners MUTED will enable development of a 3D display closer to a commercial product by developing a more effective and compact form, developing a non-intrusive multi-user head tracker, and obtaining a fuller understanding of the human factors considerations of 3D display. To facilitate commercialization we will leverage expertise from partner Sharp to address hurdles prior to mass manufacture. A future 3D display will not be a stand-alone set as it is now, but will be part of a comprehensive network where interactivity plays an important part. The 30-month MUTED project will manage 30 person-years of effort at a cost to the EU of 2.925 M Euro. The first 4 months will validate the research agenda, conducting a design review and establishing performance metrics for the deliverables. In the second phase of 15-months a prototype will be developed to provide a platform for demonstration and formative assessment. The final 11-month phase iterates the development and consolidates know-how to provide a fully evaluated demonstrator, together with dissemination of specific and generalisable knowledge. Each phase has clearly-defined exit-strategy options. MUTED will develop an advanced display platform and means of feeding usability knowledge into product design, supporting European business as well as providing project partners with their own exploitation opportunities.

Courtesy of De Montfort University

Due to delays in prototype delivery stereo-notebook Sharp AL3D and stereo-walls were used for verification of developed software packages. There were several presentations of the MUTED project on going work and results, namely at: WSCG 2010 - 18th International Conference in Central Europe on Computer Graphics, Visualization and Computer Vision, Plzen, Czech Republic WSCG 2009 - 17th International Conference in Central Europe on Computer Graphics, Visualization and Computer Vision, Plzen, Czech Republic GraVisMa 2009 - International Workshop on Computer Graphics, Vision and Mathematics, Plzen, Czech Republic WSCG 2008 - 16th International Conference in Central Europe on Computer Graphics, Visualization and Computer Vision, Plzen, Czech Republic Major events, where we have presented relevant research results FET 2009 - Future Emerging Technologies, Prague, Czech Republic       Minister of Education of the Czech Republic at our stand European Union representatives at our stand

WSCG 2010 WSCG 2009 GraVisMa 2009 WSCG 2008

Czech cooperating company
Three Brother s.r.o.,
(Prague, Czech Republic)
Rental of a digital camera Sony Z1 including accessories and external consultancy

The following software packages publicly available were developed within the MUTED project:

• ParaView - stereo rendering module for stereo-walls, Sharp AL3D and MUTED display.
  Product description: The software allows the user to display visualize, especially volumetric, data in stereoscopic mode. It is extension of program Paraview 3.3. Extension allows better understanding and evaluation of data. It is possible to modify stereoscopic settings of software for stereo-wall and special stereoscopic displays designed for these purposes with respect to user comfort and stereoscopic perception. The user manual for the product is in the file: StereoRendering_ParaView_documentation.pdf.

• MVE - stereo-renderer - stereo-renderer for Modular Visualization Environment (MVE) system being developed at the Center of Computer Graphics and Visualization.
  Product description: The software allows the user to display visualized data in stereoscopic mode, which allows better understanding and evaluation of data. It is possible to modify stereoscopic settings of software for stereowall and special stereoscopic displays designed for these purposes with respect of user comfort and stereoscopic perception. The user manual for the product is in the file: UnstrGridRenderer.pdf.
  For the medical applications the Dicom Reader for MVE is available.

• Blender 3D - modification of the Blender system.
  Product description: modification of Blender system enabling object design directly in 3D environment.
  Availability  on a request from the project leader, only.

MUTED Meetings

• Berlin, March 2006 - Berlin photos
• Brussels, July 2006 - Brussels photos
• Eindhoven, December 2006 - Eindhoven photos
• Oxford, February 2007 - Oxford photos
• Plzen, July 2007 - Plzen photos
• Berlin, December 2007 - Not present
• Cambridge, January 2008 - Cambridge photos
• Berlin, June 2008 - Berlin photos
• Leicester, March 2009 - Leicester photos
• London, October 2009 - London photos
• Leicester, January 2010 - Leicester photos

University of West Bohemia Project Leader

Vaclav Skala
Members
Jan Stefany	Vaclav Bystricky	Jan Krejcir
Jan Bartipan	Vojtech Hladik	Frantisek Novak	Oldrich Petrik

WEB page http://MUTED.zcu.cz
Center of Computer Graphics and Visualization, Czech Republic http://herakles.zcu.cz

Contact:
prof.Vaclav Skala
University of West Bohemia
Faculty of Applied Sciences
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Univerzitni 8
CZ 306 14 Plzen
Czech Republic
http://herakles.zcu.cz/~skala