Date: Tue, 28 Feb 1995 19:37:41 -1000 From: chronstr@bucknell.edu (Nathan) Message-Id: Organization: Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, USA Subject: ENHANCED DEPTH PERCEPTION Hi I have created a device that increases depth perception by 4 or 5 times. This means that "binocular depth perception" is effective over great distances, for example the relative postions of objects in the sky can be percieved about 500 feet away. (Objects stand out from clouds or other distant objects at a distance of up to half a mile, with practice.) This might be useful in KITE FLYING, especially when multiple kites are in the air. Please let me know if you feel it would be useful for fighter kites, stunters, or whatever activities you are involved with. One obvious benefit is that it would allow you to tell when an obstacle such as tree is within reach of your kite line. I have built a crude working model, which is too large for headset mounting but otherwise very effective. One eye is left free from the device, so the visual field in that eye is unobstructed. I may decide to develop this further if enough people feel it would be useful. Smaller size and lighter weight are easily attainable. Nathan chronstr@bucknell.edu = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Wed, 1 Mar 1995 13:11:56 -1000 From: amirault@max.tiac.net (Richard Amirault) Message-Id: Organization: The Internet Access Company Subject: Re: ENHANCED DEPTH PERCEPTION chronstr@bucknell.edu (Nathan) writes: >I have created a device that increases depth perception by 4 or 5 times. >This means that "binocular depth perception" is effective over great >distances, for example the relative postions of objects in the sky can be >percieved about 500 feet away. (Objects stand out from clouds or other >distant objects at a distance of up to half a mile, with practice.) >This might be useful in KITE FLYING, especially when multiple kites are in >the air. Please let me know if you feel it would be useful for fighter >kites, stunters, or whatever activities you are involved with. One >obvious benefit is that it would allow you to tell when an obstacle such >as tree is within reach of your kite line. >I have built a crude working model, which is too large for headset >mounting but otherwise very effective. One eye is left free from the >device, so the visual field in that eye is unobstructed. I may decide to >develop this further if enough people feel it would be useful. Smaller >size and lighter weight are easily attainable. As someone whose hobbies also include stereo (3D) photography, the only way something like this might work would be a set of mirrors to increase the distance "between" the two eyes. Something like a sideways periscope for one (or both) eye(s). This was done during wartime with special binoculars that were essentially two opposite, sideways periscopes. The viewer was able to judge distances quite well as I understand (of course all you need these days is a laser beam!) Richard amirault@tiac.net = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 13:16:57 -1000 From: chronstr@coral.bucknell.edu (Nathan) Message-Id: Organization: Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, USA Subject: Re: ENHANCED DEPTH PERCEPTION In article , amirault@max.tiac.net (Richard Amirault) wrote: > > chronstr@bucknell.edu (Nathan) writes: > >I have created a device that increases depth perception by 4 or 5 times. > >This means that "binocular depth perception" is effective over great > >distances, for example the relative postions of objects in the sky can be > >percieved about 500 feet away. (Objects stand out from clouds or other > >distant objects at a distance of up to half a mile, with practice.) > > >This might be useful in KITE FLYING, especially when multiple kites are in > >the air. Please let me know if you feel it would be useful for fighter > >kites, stunters, or whatever activities you are involved with. One > >obvious benefit is that it would allow you to tell when an obstacle such > >as tree is within reach of your kite line. > > >I have built a crude working model, which is too large for headset > >mounting but otherwise very effective. One eye is left free from the > >device, so the visual field in that eye is unobstructed. I may decide to > >develop this further if enough people feel it would be useful. Smaller > >size and lighter weight are easily attainable. > > As someone whose hobbies also include stereo (3D) photography, the only > way something like this might work would be a set of mirrors to increase > the distance "between" the two eyes. Something like a sideways periscope > for one (or both) eye(s). That's exactly what it is. Two mirrors, and it already does work, though its usefulness remains to be seen. I am considering the use of lenses, which would allow the use of smaller, lighter mirrors with minimal loss of visual field. > This was done during wartime with special binoculars that were > essentially two opposite, sideways periscopes. The viewer was able to > judge distances quite well as I understand (of course all you need > these days is a laser beam!) I have used only a single periscope because it allows unobstructed field of view in one eye (requiring that there is no magnification, but for the proposed application magnification wouldn't be useful). If you had a laser range finder or some other type of range finder, it might be less easy to use in fast-action sports such as kite flying. It would be great for judging the distance to objects, but cumbersome for comparing the distance to two objects... Or am I wrong? At any rate, the periscope device is very cost-effective. Nathan > Richard > amirault@tiac.net = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 08:26:33 -1000 From: sasaki@netopd.harvard.edu (Marty Sasaki) Message-Id: <3j7n0p$f2o@netope.harvard.edu> Organization: Harvard OIT Network Services Subject: Re: ENHANCED DEPTH PERCEPTION In article , chronstr@bucknell.edu (Nathan) writes: |>I have created a device that increases depth perception by 4 or 5 times. |>This means that "binocular depth perception" is effective over great |>distances, for example the relative postions of objects in the sky can be |>percieved about 500 feet away. (Objects stand out from clouds or other |>distant objects at a distance of up to half a mile, with practice.) It's a good thing that my team mates don't read rec.kites regularly, otherwise they might have already ordered one of these things for me. I've lead the team right into trees, park benches and football goal posts. Having said this, I suspect that this sort of thing is probably not very useful. A hand held rangefinder is actually good enough to survey the flying area to make sure that a kite won't collide with something else. When I am actually flying, I'm concentrating enough on the kite and what I am doing to not notice that the kite is about to collide with something until too late. Of course, this is just my opinion. Maybe if the gadget were light enough and relatively inexpensive I would give it a try (but only if my team mates didn't laugh to much when I put it on...;-) -- Marty Sasaki Harvard University Sasaki Kite Fabrications sasaki@noc.harvard.edu Network Services Division 26 Green Street 617-496-4320 10 Ware Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Cambridge, MA 02138-4002 phone/fax: 617-522-8546 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Sun, 5 Mar 1995 12:08:14 -1000 From: ilh@lcs.mit.edu (Lee Hetherington) Message-Id: Organization: MIT/LCS Spoken Language Systems Subject: Re: ENHANCED DEPTH PERCEPTION In article <3j7n0p$f2o@netope.harvard.edu> sasaki@netopd.harvard.edu (Marty Sasaki) writes: | It's a good thing that my team mates don't read rec.kites regularly, | otherwise they might have already ordered one of these things for me. | I've lead the team right into trees, park benches and football goal | posts. Busted! I can think of at least one occasion where Marty flew us into a football goal post (Danehy park, April 1994). Fortunately the beach where we usually fly doesn't have many goal posts ;-) -- Lee Hetherington ilh@lcs.mit.edu = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Sun, 5 Mar 1995 20:41:00 -1000 From: johnsen@eskimo.com (Brian Johnsen) Message-Id: Organization: Tethered Airfoil R&D Pty. Ltd.(C)(R)(TM) CD CASS Subject: Re: ENHANCED DEPTH PERCEPTION Could you get Bobby Stanfield to design some sort of articulated counter- weight headset device attached to a welders visor headband? You could get about a two to three meter offset for your eyepiece with the appropriate optical enhancement -- "I Spoke To Frank Zappa Through An Orange" Proclaims Spin Doctor -- Brian Johnsen johnsen@eskimo.com Seattle, Washington USA = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 17:44:17 -1000 From: chronstr@coral.bucknell.edu (Nathan) Message-Id: Organization: Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, USA Subject: Re: ENHANCED DEPTH PERCEPTION In article , johnsen@eskimo.com (Brian Johnsen) wrote: > Could you get Bobby Stanfield to design some sort of articulated counter- > weight headset device attached to a welders visor headband? > > You could get about a two to three meter offset for your eyepiece with > the appropriate optical enhancement You don't need that much offset (unless you want really good depth percetion really far away). I think a separation of half a meter would be adequate for most purposes within 100 meters. This allows a very compact, light weight device, and allows you to use your enhanced depth perception even on nearby objects (3m or so). You would not have these advantages with a 2-3 meter separation. Even with half a meter offset, you could percieve the depth between kites in a train almost 100 meters away. Nathan = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =