Toshiba unveils glasses-free 3D TV

Toshiba Corp. has unveiled the world’s first high-definition, liquid crystal display (LCD) 3D television that does not require special glasses—one of the biggest consumer complaints about the technology, reports the Associated Press. Electronics, entertainment, and education companies around the world are banking on 3D to fuel a new boom in TV, movies, games, and other content. Most 3D TVs on the market today rely on glasses to rapidly deliver separate images to each eye, which creates a sense of three-dimensional depth. In its new TVs, Toshiba uses a “perpendicular lenticular sheet,” which consists of an array of small lenses that directs light from the display to nine points in front of the TV. If a viewer is sitting within the optimal viewing zone, the brain integrates these points into a single 3D image. “The result is precise rendering of high quality 3D images whatever the viewing angle within the viewing zone,” Toshiba said in its release. The system is similar to what’s used in Nintendo’s 3DS, the company’s highly anticipated handheld device that features glasses-free 3D gaming. Toshiba will offer two sizes—12 inches and 20 inches—designed for personal use. The technology isn’t advanced enough yet to integrate into larger screens…

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3D printing spurs a manufacturing revolution

New technology is giving rise to never-before-possible businesses that are selling products such as iPhone cases, architectural models, and even low-cost, customizable prosthetic limbs, reports the New York Times. San Francisco-based Bespoke Innovations is using advances in a technology known as 3D printing to create prosthetic limb casings wrapped in embroidered leather, shimmering metal, or whatever else someone might want. Scott Summit, a co-founder of Bespoke, and his partner, an orthopedic surgeon, are set to open a studio this fall where they will sell the limb coverings and experiment with printing entire customized limbs that could cost a tenth of comparable artificial limbs made using traditional methods. A 3D printer, which has nothing to do with paper printers, creates an object by stacking one layer of material—typically plastic or metal—on top of another, much the same way a pastry chef makes baklava with sheets of phyllo dough. The technology has been radically transformed from its origins as a tool used by manufacturers and designers to build prototypes. These days, it is giving rise to a string of never-before-possible businesses. And while some wonder how successfully the technology will make the transition from manufacturing applications to producing consumer goods, its use is exploding…

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