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  Currently, 2 spacecraft are flying around the sun very far away from each other to take hyper-stereo images. Their project description says: "STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) is the third mission in NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes program (STP). This two-year mission, launched October 2006, will provide a unique and revolutionary view of the Sun-Earth System. The two nearly identical observatories - one ahead of Earth in its orbit, the other trailing behind - will trace the flow of energy and matter from the Sun to Earth. They will reveal the 3D structure of coronal mass ejections; violent eruptions of matter from the sun that can disrupt satellites and power grids, and help us understand why they happen. STEREO will become a key addition to the fleet of space weather detection satellites by providing more accurate alerts for the arrival time of Earth-directed solar ejections with its unique side-viewing perspective."  NASA Stereo Mission  Stereo is used in IMAX to make it seem like a virtual reality set-up that is surrounding you. Interestingly, when a huge screen is being used to create 3D images, the brain actually perceives objects as being really tiny. We recently had a 3D screening of Beowulf at USC. See below: Imax 3D at USC Imax Expand to Theatres  At the USC Interactive Department Flower Street lab, students and faculty are doing a lot of work with stereo. Mark Bolas works with head-mounted Virtual Reality display set-ups, which have been a stereoscopic media since their inception. The set-ups track images. As you move you head around, you move the image in the exact opposite direction so that it seems to be a stable world all-around. There is a projection screen with 2 projectors with polarizing filters. In the standard way, the participant wears 3D glasses with polarizers. USC Interactive Department Blog  Precise alignment and synchronization of dual projector stereo 3D programs has been historically difficult, which has been one of the reasons why it has been slow to take hold. RealD System and Dolby's system called "Infitec" have solved the problem by using a single projector to display both left and right eye images, thereby taking a huge source of operator error out of the equation. This technology has finally reached a new level of standardization and precision. Existing media formats will be able to be rendered at a level approaching reality. RealD Website Dolby's Infitec Website  Now that the Digital projection and technology is in place for 3D, major Hollywood players are committed to stereo (Robert Zemeckis, James Cameron, Stephen Spielberg). In the last 4 years, more than 10 feature films have been released in 3D including Polar Express, Shark Boy & Lava Girl, Superman Returns, Nightmare Before Christmas, Meet the Robinsons. The pipe-line for this year includes a lot of new releases being premiered or converted into 3D. The list includes Beowolf, Avatar (James Cameron), Godzilla 3D movie, a concert film of U2, and converting the entire Star Wars cycle into 3D.
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