Canon Previews New Handheld Display in Development for Its Mixed Reality (MREAL) System

MELVILLE, N.Y. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — July 23, 2013 — Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, will showcase a selection of its visualization products including a preview of a new handheld display for the MREAL System for Mixed Reality (MR), currently under development, at the Special Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH) annual Conference in Anaheim, California, from July 23-25, 2013. During this year’s conference, Canon will illustrate how its diverse image capture and output technologies can help customers effectively manage work processes and reduce costs.

Visitors to the Canon booth (#502) will have an opportunity to participate in product demonstrations designed to unlock creative potential, inspire increased efficiency and demonstrate accelerated workflows through the Company’s cohesive lineup of input to output solutions. The Canon booth will demonstrate visualization workflows, including the Canon MREAL System, Cinema EOS System, select imagePROGRAF large-format printers and REALiS projectors that help bring high-quality images to life on paper, on screen and in the virtual world.

Canon’s MREAL System

Launched in the U.S.A in February 2013, Canon’s MREAL System for Mixed Reality is a next-generation solution that simultaneously merges virtual objects with the real world, at full scale and in three dimensions. By combining the rich, visual information of the real world and the flexibility offered by computer-generated images, Canon’s Mixed Reality system offers an imaging experience that is a step ahead of existing virtual technology, which currently exists only in computer-generated environments.

The MREAL System provides an interactive and immersive experience that benefits collaboration in a variety of industries. The combination of the real world and CGI makes pre-visualization of a pre-production scene possible in filmmaking. It can also be used to help drive the research and development and overall product lifecycle management of products in the manufacturing space, as designs can be examined, modified, manipulated, analyzed and presented with a level of realism that allows complicated ideas and plans to come to fruition quickly.

Enhancing the MREAL System with Additional Solutions and Software Capabilities

At SIGGRAPH, Canon reinforces its investment in Mixed Reality with a preview of the Canon MREAL handheld display (HHD) currently in development. The new HHD expands the Canon portfolio providing users with multiple options – head-mounted display (HMD) or handheld display (HHD) – that can be used to experience mixed reality. The HHD currently under development is aimed to be advantageous in such settings as showrooms, exhibitions and meeting presentations. Canon aims to commercialize the HHD at the end of 2013.

Canon will also be showcasing integration with RTT DeltaGen through a soon-to-be-available MREAL plug-in for RTT DeltaGen. This new plug-in will enable RTT DeltaGen users to seamlessly launch the mixed reality experience – retaining the same dimensions, scale, spaces and precision – with the check of a box. The seamless combination of RTT and Canon technologies will allow users to leverage their existing designs to create an integrated visual experience.

In addition, Canon is developing a software update to the MR Platform that realizes improved accuracy and convenience for the MREAL System when used in conjunction with a dedicated third-party position-alignment camera and carpet-type markers. By attaching the camera to the exterior of the display, providing a perspective that differs from that of the display's built-in cameras, the software delivers increased alignment precision between real-world visual information and digital data, while offering greater camera-tracking-area coverage to enable an expanded range of use. As well, by using portable carpet-type markers, users can realize faster system setup and can also put a system in place in most any setting.

Canon Cinema EOS digital cinema cameras

Canon is dedicated to providing cinematographers and television production professionals with digital video equipment that leverage Canon’s rich heritage of imaging technology in a series of compact but powerful devices and optical technologies. On display at SIGGRAPH will be Canon’s full line of Cinema EOS digital cinema cameras along with a video presentation showing highlights from successful productions that have used Cinema EOS cameras.

imagePROGRAF large format printers

An excellent solution for the graphic, fine art, photography and proofing markets while delivering superb color quality, color consistency and output speeds, Canon’s imagePROGRAF printers provide the end-user with high-quality output for almost any application. On display will be the award-winning Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6450 printer to produce some high-quality movie posters throughout the course of the show.

REALiS projectors

The REALiS Pro AV Compact Installation LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicone) Projectors combine exceptional picture quality of larger installation projectors with the plug-and-play convenience of portable models. On display will be the REALiS WUX450 projector, which features 4500 lumens of brightness to demonstrate its placement flexibility with the advanced Genuine Canon projection lens that delivers a consistent fixed aperture of f/2.8, allowing for virtually no light loss across its entire 1.8x zoom range. Designed for short-throw use, the Canon REALiS WUX400ST projector, which features 4000 lumens of brightness and a generous horizontal and vertical lens-shift, will also be on display. Both models deliver WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution, and feature a trim design under 14 lbs. each, installation flexibility, easy set-up and sophisticated operational advantages strategically designed for higher education, boardroom installations, museums, and many other professional markets.