Interactive medical visualization with floating images

The new optical device `DCRA' is capable of projecting floating images, that is, undistorted real images of displays. Such floating images are different from stereoscopic (so-called `3D') images as they provide most of the depth clues like motional parallax and accommodation, in addition to binocular parallax; thus they are suitable for long-term, close range observation, which is required in medical work. We have developed a prototype system using floating images to visualize volumetric medical data, such as CT or MRI scans. In this system, the visible section can be freely selected by the user, and it is displayed in the air at the correct location, to help the user in creating internally a volumetric model. The image can be superimposed on wireframes or other reference objects, and the user can place volumetric markers inside the displayed sections. We plan to cooperate with medical professionals to evaluate our system as an aid in complex medical imaging work.