Design Method for Gushed Light Field: Aerosol-Based Aerial and Instant Display

Design Method for Gushed Light Field: Aerosol-Based Aerial and Instant Display Ippei Suzuki Shuntarou Yoshimitsu University of Tsukuba Waseda University [email protected] [email protected] Keisuke Kawahara Nobutaka Ito Atsushi Shinoda University of Tsukuba The University of Tokyo University of Tsukuba Akira Ishii Takatoshi Yoshida Yoichi Ochiai University of Tsukuba The University of Tokyo University of Tsukuba ABSTRACT We present a new method to render aerial images using aerosol-based fog screens. Conventional fog screens are easily affected by air flow, and their fog generators occupy large areas. In this study, we propose to add new tradeoffs between the display time and the payloads. We employ aerosol distribution from off-the-shelf sprays as a fog screen that can resist wind and has high portability. Results showed that the minimum weight of the entire system is approximately 600 g including all components, the screen raise time is approximately 0.5 s, the disappearance time is approximately Figure 1: Application example: wearable version of 0.4 s, and the maximum wind speed at which we can project our system (showing \OK" on man's back). images is approximately 10 m/s. We conducted user studies on wearable applications, aerial imaging with a drone or radio-controlled model car, multi-viewpoint display, and a to display fixed and large images. However, there are some display embedded in the environment. This study will con- issues to be considered. The first problem has to do with the tribute to the exploration of new application areas for fog dimension and weight of the system. In this case, the fog displays, and will augment expressions of entertainment and generator is large and heavy. For example, FogScreen⃝R eZ interactivity. has 103 cm width and 85 kg weight1. The second problem is of low wind tolerance. Images cannot be projected in windy CCS Concepts locations or attached to moving objects, since conventional fog screens are easily affected by air flow. These problems in- •Hardware ! Displays and imagers; terfere with mobile applications. In addition, a fog machine cannot generate fog in a short period of time, and there is Keywords a delay before the fog can disappear. Therefore, we cannot produce conventional system as a wearable device, nor can Display, aerial imaging, fog screen, design method, multi- these instantly project an image. copter, projection, entertainment, communication In this paper, we employ aerosol distribution from off-the- shelf sprays as diffusers and we use a portable laser projector 1. INTRODUCTION as a projection source. Furthermore, we propose to add Fog screens [27] have been used as the primary diffusers in new tradeoffs between the limited display time and payload. passive aerial displays, and many studies have explored this Thus, we can solve the problems of conventional fog screens type of display technology. In this type of display systems, in some cases. Using aerosol distribution from sprays has diffusers are generated by the fog generator, and the pro- several advantages: jector projects images onto the fog. Previous studies aimed • Because of its high projection speed, the system and its projected image can be moved and it has high wind tolerance. This is the author’s version of the work. It is posted here for your personal • Because the ingredients of the spray evaporate imme- use. Not for redistribution. diately, we can instantly project an image and remove Copyright is held by the owner/author(s). the screen. AH ’17, March 16-18, 2017, Mountain View, CA, USA • ACM 978-1-4503-4835-5/17/03. This enables the entire system to be lightweight and https://doi.org/10.1145/3041164.3041170 compact. Passive display Volumetric display Generator Generator Projector Mirror Bubbles Projector Diffuser Bubble generator Fog screen [Rakkolainen et al.] The Information Percolator [Heiner et al.] Interactive Volumetric Fog Display [Lam et al.] [Jones et al.] Figure 2: Left: fields of related work. Passive display utilizes various properties of the object (e.g., diffusion property, lens-like property). Volumetric display forms an object in three physical dimensions. Right: example applications of proposed method. Our aerial imaging system can be attached to drone or dancer. We present applications that utilize the benefits of our 2.1 Passive displays aerosol-based display. These benefits include a high refresh In this category, the projection area is filled with small rate, small size, low weight, high tolerance for wind, and objects that can passively reflect projected light or environ- selective narrow viewing angle. Figure 2 (right) shows ex- mental light. ample applications of the proposed method. Our study is Studies of fog screens [27] have a close relationship to our based on the demonstrations and discussions on applications study. There are several similarities between their studies in previous conferences [30, 31]. and ours. Each study projects an image onto the fog, which In addition, we considered the fabrication of this system has properties of forward-scattering. This technique is quite in this paper. We explored different combinations of nozzles popular and has been studied for a long time. Despite the and sprays as design factors. It is relatively difficult to con- results from the previous studies, the fog screen still has taminate the surroundings while using off-the-shelf sprays two weak points: its system is sensitive to strong winds, such as deodorant sprays or cooling sprays. On the other and there is a delay when the screen is prepared or cleaned. hand, nozzles designed for graffiti purposes have some prop- Passive displays utilize various properties of objects. The erties that are beneficial for distribution. We have evaluated fog screen uses fog as a diffuser, while Bubble Cosmos [16] several combinations of sprays and nozzles. uses bubbles filled with fog. These displays utilize the dif- We also built a simple viewing angle simulator. The view- fusion property of the fog. Volumetric display with dust [4] ing angle of a fog screen is narrow because of Mie scattering. and Pixie Dust [19] uses dust-like particles as diffusers. They When the fog screen was fixed, the narrowness of the view- utilize the reflection property of dust or foamed beads. Col- ing angle was no longer a serious problem. However, our loidal Display [23, 22] uses a membrane screen controlled by proposed method made the fog screen movable. Therefore, ultrasonic vibration. They can change their opacity and sur- it is important to be able to demonstrate the image to the face properties depending on the scales of ultrasonic waves. intended target during a simulation. Bubble Cloud [11] uses a bubble cluster that can change The contributions of current work are as follows: shape, and there is no need to fill the bubble with fog. In [32], falling water droplets were utilized as a screen. The • This study evaluates an aerosol spray as a screen. lens-like property of water droplets delivered projected images directly to eyes of the viewer. Heiner et al. designed a • By simulating the scattering of aerosol distribution and display that aimed to realize an ambient display [5], which evaluating different combinations of nozzles and spray, is a passive midair display that uses water. we present our design and fabrication method. These studies were suitable for static and long-term projection. Our approach aims to render aerial images in dif- • By proposing a new method to render an aerial image, ferent situations (e.g., mobile and fast moving), and can be this study enables the exploration of new application extended to accommodate them. areas for fog displays, and expands the use of aerial imaging for entertainment, communication, and inter- 2.2 Passive volumetric displays action. In this category, the dimensions are extended to 3D. The Interactive Volumetric Fog Display [12, 13] projects images Conventional aerial imaging systems have been consid- on a nonplanar and reconfigurable fog screen. The Movable ered targets of appreciation. The proposed system can make Immaterial Volumetric Display [28] is a prototype for the the aerial display wearable, and can augment human from volumetric slices of a fog display. HANASUI [7] is a mov- the perspectives of entertainment and interaction [Figure 2 able volumetric fog screen that uses markers, an infrared (right)]. camera, and multiprojections. Splash Display [14] is a passive volumetric display that uses projectile beads as a projection medium. Holodust [25] illuminates small floating 2. RELATED WORK particles with lasers. Nayar et al. uses Laser Induced Dam- In this section, we cite related work. Figure 2 (left) shows age scatterers as a volumetric diffuser [17]. Pixie Dust [19] the fields of related work. manipulates reflective object by 3D acoustic-manipulation technology. However, their entire system was too large to 1http://www.fogscreen.com/products attach to a drone or to use in wearable applications. (last accessed January 25, 2017) Three-dimensional displays based on the mechanical mo- (a) (b) ⑥Mirror (c) Side panel (d) ⑦ Base and partition Mirror ⑥ ④Raspberry Pi 175mm Actuator Mirror Laser projector ③ ⑦Servo ①Spray Video signal Spray holder 111mm ④Raspberry Pi Servo ③Projector ② USB serial Nozzle Actuator Arduino Mini size servo mounter Pin conector Pin conector Spray ⑤ Cooling Deodorant ⑤Arduino ① ②Servo spray spray Figure 3: (a) System overview and data-flow diagram. (b) System appearance (acrylic-plate version). (c) Basic design of our system. These parts were formed with a laser cutter. (d) Off-the-shelf aerosol sprays considered in this study. Specifications are listed in Table 1. tion of a mirror or screen are discussed in [24]. A spinning Table 1: Specifications for sprays. mirror is used with a high-speed projector in [8], where dif- 2 ferent images are projected onto the mirror according to the Name (a) Cooling spray (b) Deodorant spray corresponding azimuthal angle expresses a 360◦ light field (Fragrance-free) of an object.

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