PureDepth's Multi-Layer Display's (MLD) give viewers a 3D-like experience without the glasses and allow additional information to be layered over the primary image or video.

PureDepth Multi-Layer Display- The Arrow and bullseye appears above the primary image to capture the attention and provide additional information.

Founded in New Zealand in 1999 and now headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., the company achieves its unique visual effect by embedding LCD displays within each other. It calls the approach Multi-Layer Display (MLD). By running these embedded screens parallel, the screens enhance each other, essentially "deepening" what viewers see.

MLD increases pixel density, but it also boosts productivity and comprehension of information. Viewing multiple layers on the same display lets users take in all the information at once -- no distractions, nothing obscured. It's a richer way to process information.

A story on PureDepth MLD from TechNow

The Technology, the Uses

"People who read more and more complex data, simply can't sort it on traditional displays anymore--regardless of the pixel dimensions. PureDepth exponentially increases viewing area not by going bigger, but by going deeper." So says the company's site, so say we all.

No mere parlor trick, the PureDepth approach -- with 45 approved patents in its court -- allows users to absorb multiple streams of data. Doctors doing surgery could see several different sets of vitals as they navigate a patient's innards -- all on one monitor. Businesspeople could view all their financial numbers in one go. Couch potatoes could take advantage of a flat-panel television with an advanced interactive interface for navigating channels, making purchases and casting online votes.

A video overview of PureDepth showing multiple applications for the technology

Workers could more effectively multi-task, decluttering workspace by bringing all information to one monitor without the need to spread work across multiple displays or even stacked windows within a display. Graphic artists could use the top transparent display for palettes and the back window for editing.

The company anticipates applications of its technology in these fields and others, including cell phones, cameras, in-car navigation, kiosks, portable electronics, security, avionics, air-traffic control.

Pure Depth auto navigation prototype where route information and points of interest float above the main map. Coming soon to a german luxury car near you...

The company's site does the tech-geek version of all this best: "MLD displays overcome issues of convergence, motion parallax, and restrictions in the viewing angle common to most 3D displays. Convergence (the combination of left and right eye images) on PureDepth monitors is flawless, allowing for long duration viewing without loss of orientation. Correct convergence also allows for crisp images to be displayed in the full range of colors. Motion parallax (the relative movement and position of one object in front of or behind another) has been achieved without the need for head-tracking devices or limitations in the viewing area.

Licensing

Already, the company -- on a licensing quest -- has announced a five-year agreement with military equipment provider DRS Technologies, a deal with Sanyo to build gaming machines, and a worldwide contract with International Game Technology to use the technology in the company's video poker, bingo and slot machines. The Sanyo PureDepth displays hit Pachinko parlors in Japan (where the company has an office) this quarter.

Pure depth for gaming where the pay lines appear over the main image to enhance interactivity

The potential for info-rich clarity this technology promises could very well make it a natural fit for telepresence suites as well.

The Challenge

The company -- tanned, rested and ready after four years of R&D to work out the bugs -- has made the bet that PureDepth's unique approach will help to set it apart in the LCD display field. The market for LCD TV sales along is expected to hit $85 billion by 2010, up from $25 billion in 2005, if the chicken bone throwing of iSppli are to be believed. PureDepth itself anticipates a $23 billion helping of that pie each year for the rest of the decade from sales of medium and small (all the way down to cell-phone-size) displays.

PureDepth for medical - medical informatics appear over the image of a surgery in real time

That is, if the company can get consumers to bear the greater cost of the product. The LCD portion of displays make up 70 percent of the unit's total cost. With two LCDs in action, consumers may have to pay 1.8 times the cost of a regular LCD monitor.