San Rafael, CA -- August 17, 1992 -- StereoGraphics, the world's leading
supplier of true three-dimensional electronic stereoscopic display
products, has announced that the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif.,
is using StereoGraphics full-color stereo viewing system to accurately
analyze and interpret pictures of Venus being sent back to earth by the
Magellan space probe.

This particular StereoGraphics system uses a video projector equipped with
a ZScreen modulator to polarize images which are projected onto a 4- by
3-foot screen. Viewers wear passive eye wear which allows each eye to view
the appropriate image, thereby providing depth perception. Other
StereoGraphics systems utilize CrystalEYES is battery operated liquid
crystal shuttering active eye wear instead of the ZScreen and passive eye
wear.

"Being able to view the images in stereo has improved our interpretation
capabilities by bringing depth into the picture ," said William Stromberg,
facilities planning engineer for the Image Processing Laboratory at JPL.
"For example, three-dimensional viewing allows our analysts to see slopes
in images that would appear flat with a conventional monoscopic
projector."

StereoGraphics 3-D systems are based on a new technology in which the left
and right images are rapidly alternated on a projection screen or computer
monitor at 120 frames per second, producing true flicker-free full color
depth perception. The images are viewed through active CrystalEYES eye
wear that are synchronized with the monitor using wireless, infrared
signals.

Next to full scale models, three-dimensional color images give users the
best sense of spatial relationships because they provide accurate,
information-rich data in a visual environment. Medical imaging, molecular
modeling, inspection systems and training are just a few of the
applications.

"Stereo color information provides total understanding," said Dick Martin,
president of StereoGraphics. "In fact, a study by Tektronix discovered
that when people use stereo, 75% fewer errors are committed."

For their stereoscopic system, JPL uses a standard three-CRT Electrohome
video projector with three five-inch lenses, each equipped with a
Stereographics ZScreen liquid crystal polarizing modulator placed over the
lens that changes the polarization characteristics of the light emitted
from the projector. The modulators are synchronized with the projector so
that a clockwise polarization is imparted to the left image and a
counterclockwise polarization to the right image.

NASA's Magellan Venus probe, which was launched in May 1989, reached Venus
15 months later and has been sending back a staggering array of pictures
ever since. Magellan's images have made it possible to complete a global
topography map with ten times better resolution than that provided by the
Pioneer probe. However, stereo viewing has provided the additional
information to make a correct identification of geological features,
particularly of gradually varying features like domes and faults.

For example, a scientist viewing a two-dimensional image of a volcano might
not be able to determine the reason for the color difference in the many
concentric circles making up the 2-D image. Viewing the same image in 3-D
shows that the inner circle has a conical shape and is clearly
recognizable as the core structure of a volcano.

"Having the capability to view images in stereo increases the understanding
of scientists studying the images," said Stromberg.

Stereo viewing systems are now being used in a wide variety of
applications, from architecture and mechanical CAD to business and sales
presentations. Stereoscopic applications have been written for battlefield
management and flight simulation, mapping and earth resource planning,
automobile design and fluid dynamics.

In molecular modeling, a pervasive and established use of the product,
stereo viewing helps researchers visualize and design complex molecules,
allowing some operations to be performed much more quickly. In one case, a
procedure that took four to five days to complete now takes just four to
five hours.

StereoGraphic Corp., founded in 1980 and now the world's leading
manufacturer of true stereo viewing systems, invented and developed the
market for modern electro-stereoscopic displays. The company has
introduced a succession of ground-breaking products that have made 3-D
viewing more accessible and affordable, including the CrystalEYES eye wear
which was recently cited as one of the "Top 10" graphics hardware products
of 1991 by IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications. StereoGraphics is
located at 2171 East Francisco Boulevard, San Rafael, California 94901,
phone 415/459-4500, fax 415/459-3020.

  +---------------------------------------------------------------+
  |   From the America Online - New Product Information Services  |
  +===============================================================+
  | This information was processed from data provided by the      |
  | above mentioned company. For additional details, contact the  |
  | company at the address or telephone number indicated above.   |
  |    All submissions for this service should be addressed to    |
  |   BAKER ENTERPRISES, 20 Ferro Drive, Sewell, NJ 08080 U.S.A.  |
  +---------------------------------------------------------------+