CPL-Enabled Spatial Displaying for Immersive Human-Machine Interaction
Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) offers a route to stereoscopic displays with wide viewing angles and reduced visual fatigue, yet electrically driven real-time modulation and high luminescence dissymmetry factors (g_lum) remain unresolved. Zhuang and Yu encapsulated macroscopically helical liquid crystals into microspheres, dispersed them in a polymer precursor, and self-positioned the solution above luminescent regions via hydrophilic-hydrophobic surface tension differences. Simultaneous ultraviolet irradiation and heating polymerized the assembly into a multi-microsphere collaborative circular polarizer (MCCP) chiroptically coupled to electroluminescent components through photonic bandgap matching. The resulting electrically controlled CPL microdevice achieved a maximum g_lum of 1.0. Monolithic integration of these microdevices produced a 3D display delivering parallax images to both eyes, enabling depth-information-established imagery when viewed with smart polarized glasses. A depth-sensing apparatus based on binocular disparity visualized depth information for the first time, permitting hand-movement interaction with the 3D imagery. Integration with a motion-synchronized human-machine system allowed a robotic arm to replicate user manipulations remotely and synchronously. In a simulated trapped-personnel rescue scenario, 3D-display-provided depth information enabled remote robotic manipulation for successful rescue with maximum safety guarantee. This work, published as a Science Advances cover article, demonstrates a neoflexible 3D display platform for immersive human-machine interaction.