A new invention in monoscopic to stereoscopic conversion Avatar - a Hollywood movie released in 2009 by director James Cameron has start

ed a sort of renaissance of stereoscopic 3D movies in very recent past. The mov ie has become the all time highest money grosser movie in the world. Now, a vast numbers of movie-makers are thinking about releasing their movies in the format of stereoscopic 3D, both in Hollywood and elsewhere. Even in our own Bollywood some movie-makers are thinking in the same line. The stereoscopic movies are created using a special technique of photography whi ch is very different from a general monoscopic movie. A viewer has to wear a gla ss to see the real depth-of-field created in the stereoscopic image. Think about all the great movies which are not shoot in stereoscopic format or the images h undreds and thousands of them if converted to stereoscopy can be a great fun to watch as well as it can turn to be very informative for some other reasons. So, we need a very efficient and perfect conversion technique to convert any monosco pic or two-dimensional image to stereoscopic 3D. But first, we should know what stereoscopy is - Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopic or 3-D imaging) is any te chnique capable of recording three-dimensional visual information or creating th e illusion of depth in an image. The story so far If we walk through the passages of history we will find the name of Sir Charles Wheatstone, who first invented the stereoscope in 1838. Since then many inventio ns have perfected the story of stereoscopic vision till the present time. As the 3-D imaging gained popularity a thought of converting existing 2D images and ma terials into 3-D surfaced out. Various researchers and inventors came out with m any thought provoking ideas to make the conversion as good as possible. Many big industrial houses such as IBM, Industrial Light and Magic (of George Lucas of S tarWars movie fame),Sanyo Electric Co (Japan) etc. took patents of many notewort hy inventions which can transfer 2D imagery to stereoscopic 3D. My invention In the context of the above mentioned inventions, one thing is almost common in all the cases the involvement of huge money and machineries as input and mechani cal or artificial end results as output. As we all know, a two-dimensional objec t has X-axis and Y-axis, where a three-dimensional object has X,Y and Z-axis. So , the main factor of consideration of a monoscopic to stereoscopic conversion is the creation of a perfect Z-axis data which will supplement the lack of it in a monoscopic image. In all the inventions till date, the Z-axis is created in a m echanical or artificial sort of way which somehow differs from the reality. So t he depth-of-field created by using earlier technology is somewhat unreal. Even i n a recent seminar held in Hollywood about the monoscopic to stereoscopic conver sion, all master technicians there discussed about the lack of foolproof methods of conversion. The current techniques they use is can be said a very calculated guesswork to divulge the Z-axis (depth-of-field). In my invention, it decodes t he information of light captured in the two-dimensional plane and creates the de pth-of-field accordingly. So, the novelty of the invention is it is closer to th e truth. At least it creates the Z-axis from the information which is neither me chanical nor artificial, so this method of conversion is more scientifically aut hentic. It creates the depth-of-field (Z-axis) almost like the real world i.e., in the most authentic proportion in accordance with the X and Y axis data. This technology is also very inexpensive. So if it is a single snap or a movie we can transfer it to a stereoscopic 3D like it was originally shoot in stereoscopic 3 D. The areas where this invention can be used -

1. Science & Technology As it can transfer 2D to 3D in the most realistic manner . 2. Film and Television The technology is very cheap so converting a block-buster movie into stereoscopic 3D will be a more profitable scheme. Think about Satyaj it Ray's classics into 3D. Also the 3D television is here to stay. So, convertin g DVDs can be a real money earner. 3. Space Technology Conversion of a satellite picture into 3D can be proved bene ficial for studying. 4. Medical It can convert a 2D X-Ray plate into a stereoscopic 3D X-Ray. It may help doctors to diagnose better. So to say, any visual reference which is used f or a medical purpose can be converted to a view with depth in the picture. There are possibilities of creating new medical devices for the aid of medical scienc e. 5.Archives/Historical Interest Conversion of archival footage, still photograph may open up new area of studying. 6. Archaeology The olden pictures and photographs of immense importance can be c onverted to perfect stereoscopic 3D for the researchers. For example, ancient ph araoh of Egypt Tutankhamun's mummy was discovered in 1922 and then photographed immaculately. But the grave was vandalised by tomb-robbers during the second wor ld war and the mummy was also not spared. So, the earlier photographs are our on ly source of the true representation of the mummy. If we can convert these pictu res to stereoscopic three-dimensional images then it may help researchers to stu dy it from a different angle. 7. Art As we might probe the mind's eye of a painter or a photographer by converti ng a still image to a stereoscopic 3D this technology will be a boon for the Art researchers. For example, a 3D Monalisa may throw a new light on Leonardo da Vi nci's works. 8. Forensics A new technology which may help to strengthen the hand's of justice more. 9. Terrestrial Mapping and Surveying This technology can be very efficiently use d in any kind of terrestrial mapping and surveying. Surveying like Aerial Survey , Geological Survey, Geophysical Survey, Hydro-graphic survey, Cave survey,Const ruction survey, Deviation survey, Soil Survey etc. which needs any two-dimension al image to come alive, can put this technology to an excellent use. 10. Aviation For aviation industry which needs a good interpretation of aerial m apping as well as geological and other mapping and images with depth-of-field va riations can also use this method vividly. 11. Defence Technology Terrestrial mapping and monitoring is an integral part of defence technology. 12. Stereoscopic Printing & Interactive Software - A wide variety of stereoscopi c publication - from comics book to art book - from medical, space and other sci entific book with visual reference can be published by using this method for con version. This process can also be used in interactive learning software with a g reat effect. Other than entertainments, stereoscopic three-dimensional technology was primari ly used in defence technology from its emancipation. So there might be a plethor a of usages possible in defence technology.May it be the entertainment or the st udy, conversion of two-dimensional images to stereoscopic three-dimensional imag es can open up new avenues where the depth-of-field and vision is an constitutio nal part of the subject. This method or process is also applicable to a series o f pictures like movies and videos. [ For more details go to - sandipchatterjee.weebly.com ]