Light physics and transparent monitors

I've been playing with the idea of how to create transparent monitors and I believe the future of this industry is found in prismic pixels. Simply put, the alternation between cubic prisms (passing light with no distortion) and right-angle prisms allow for projected images from the base to be superimposed upon (or rather, in between) images passing through from the opposite side of the monitor.

Examine figure 1.1 and consider:
a) The red ball is located behind the screen, level with the camera angle capturing the scene.
b) The blue ball is located beneath the screen, perpendicular to the angle of the user relative to the right-angle prisms
c) The green ball has been distorting as necessary to preserve the integrity of the shape through the distortion as a result of the structure presenting in figure 1.2


Figure 1.1


Figure 1.2


Whereas the red ball and the blue ball are superimposed over each other in figure 1.1, therefore transparent monitors are possible given enough resolution (number of prisms per square inch, we shall call this unit "pixels").

The steepness of the monitor may change (presumably to take up less space in thickness), but the angle of the bottom-projecting prisms must correspond to the angle of the stacks of pixels. The angle of the stacks may not equal zero, as the projected image below could not possibly project through two stacks on top of each other as depicted in figure 1.3. The horizontal distortion must be proportional to the angle of the stacks to maintain picture integrity. NOTE a skewed distortion would result in a truer representation of the bottom-projected object, as opposed to a linear horizontal distortion.



Figure 1.3 (NOTES: Due to limited physical accuracy of the program I'm using, this is not a 100% accurate representation of the idea discussed in the paragraph above)



Applications: My friends and I developed this idea to fit our needs for a medium for our Harry Potter themed spell casting/battling/multiplayer game. The idea was to have a monitor between two players where the players see graphics superimposed over the glass that separates the two, but does not obscure them. Wands would correspond to a net of sensors, programmed motions would trigger spells, and players would duel as such. The model for this videogame is comprised of four parts:
-The base containing
--Projector
--Power Supply
--Computer
-The monitor
-The sensor net
-The wand or glove remote


Figure 1.4





More to come. What do you think? What are issues you see with this design? What are possible improvements that you can think of? What would you like clarified?

 

y'all niqqas got thoughts?

 

It's very rare that i find myself interested in a little science project, will look into more detail into this later.

 

If I am not mistaken, isn't this already a thing? Or something very similar.

 

Seems awesome. Is the goal to create one for personal use or are you looking to go into production with it (if it were to work out)?

 

Links, I've searched and searched for a similar published attempt or experiment with this idea and I've not found anything!

@Sanct, the goal is hoping no one has the ambition to patent the idea before I ever have the time, money, or knowledge to attempt such a thing. As of now, it's just a musing really; it's something I'm convinced is possible and relatively cheap to produce

 

That looks so complicated, A+ if you can understand it all.

 

I do understand it all, I wrote it lel

 

I think I was just thinking of rear projection in filming which involves a similar idea but without the technology that makes this unique.

 

It seems to me this could be accomplished in a similar way to 3D glass etching:


Using laser precision, one could etch the prism field within a block of solid glass.

 

But with laser etching it's engraving into the glass, what keeps it from being ruined in your method?

you would need something like a gel particle that would react, and conform to the light, without it being a permanently Etched.

 

oh no the etching doesn't etch an image, it etches the right-angle prisms which redirects the light shining through from the base at a right angle, towards the user.

There's two methods to stacking the alternating cubic and right-angle prisms I was talking about.
You can physically stack them, but the smaller the prism pixels become, the harder it is to stack (requiring more sophisticated and expensive manufacturing processes and machines), not to mention whatever adhesive holds them together would obsure the light passing through and compromise the image clarity.
Or you can laser-etch the angled prisms and the prism plane into a solid block of glass. The potential issue with this method is precision and how clean the etched surface can be. I've no doubt the technology exists to laser etch a perfectly clean surface though, so that seems the more efficient option.

 

Needs to post our sythechat convo here.

 

gave anymore thought into this after last nights convo?

 

Only that the right-angle prisms obviously wouldn't be right angles given the angle of the prism plane. They'd have to be a proportionately larger angle to the plane's angle in order to bend the projected light outwards perpendicular to the monitor surface.

 

what about the base, you come up with any ideas on how many polarizing could help light bleeding, or even griding out the lights?

Also how would you represent black colors?

 

So with the "projecting prisms," those are physical objects being reflected onto the right-angle prisms, right? If so, what is going to be creating all of the "graphics" in the game superimposed onto the person?

If not, how are you planning on projecting the objects on the prisms with some projector? I'm just confused as to how what function the "physical objects" serve. Are you planning on the prisms to function as a modern-day monitor?

Thx for clarification

 

The light comes from a projection originating in the base. The prisms serve to bend the light, direct it towards the user as it passes through the glass monitor. It would therefore appear as if the glass is where the superimposed graphics were coming from, but in reality they're simply bouncing light from the base to the user.