Glasses-free 3D display with ultrawide viewing range using deep learning

Glasses-free three-dimensional (3D) displays provide users with an immersive visual experience without the need of any wearable devices¹,². To achieve high-quality 3D imaging, a display should have both large linear dimensions and a wide viewing angle. However, the trade-off between spatial extent and bandwidth of optical systems, the space-bandwidth product, conventionally constrains the simultaneous maximization of the two. The two most common approaches to 3D displays are holographic³,⁴ and automultiscopic¹,⁵,⁶, which, respectively, sacrifice either scale or viewing angle. Recently, some implementations enhanced by artificial intelligence have shown directions to mitigate these constraints, but they still operate within a set space-bandwidth product⁷,⁸. As a result, it remains challenging to fabricate large-scale wide-angle 3D displays⁹. Here we report the realization of a large-scale full-parallax 3D display with seamless viewing beyond 100°, maintained at over 50 Hz and 1,920 × 1,080 resolution on a low-cost light-field delivery setup. This device, called EyeReal, is realized by accurately modelling binocular view and combining it with a deep-learning real-time optimization, enabling the generation of optimal light-field outputs for each of the eyes. Our device could potentially enable applications in educational tools, 3D design and virtual reality¹⁰,¹¹.