Re: Single lens Stereoscopy in the 1600,s?

[P3D William Carter <wc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Peter Homer writes:

>"I am interested in William Carters statement "Single lens stereoscopy=20
>has beeen around since at least the 1600,s ,a full 250 years before
>Wheatstone." As I have being trying to find out about the possibility=20
>of stereo before its official invention/discovery ."

And, after alot of really interesting history:

>"William Carter could reply to me direct with any further
>information if he feels it may not be of general interest to the=20
>group."

I'm going to assume that this is of interest to more than just you, me,=20
and maybe John B. I have extracted the following from a recient paper of=20
mine:

"Single-Lens Stereoscopy: A Historical And Technical Review"
I.   Single-Lens Stereoscopic Methodologies:
a.   Dual Optical Paths.
The first application of a single lens stereo system has been tried as=20
early as 1677, by a French philosopher - le Pere Cherubin, of Orleans -=20
a Capuchin friar. And this, fewer than twelve years after the first book=20
on microscopy, Robert Hooke=92s Micrographia (1665). The following is an=20
extract from the description given by Cherubin of his instrument:
'Some years ago I resolved to effect what I had long before=20
premeditated, to make a microscope to see the smallest objects with the=20
two eyes conjointly: and this project has succeeded even beyond my=20
expectation; with the advantages above the single instrument so=20
extraordinary and so surprising, that every intelligent person to whom I=20
have shown the effect has assured me that inquiring philosophers will be=20
highly pleased with the communication.' [1], [2]
1. Cherubin. La Vision parfaite, 1677
2. Translation by; J. Hogg.  The Microscope: It=92s History, Construction=
,=20
and Applications, p. 113, 1854

Peter writes:

>"Leonardo-Da-Vinci seems to have invented a stereo camera obscura ..."

Interesting! I'd like to know more about that. The only reference I have=20
of Leonardo da Vinci, from the 'Trattato della Pittura' (1561) is where=20
he says that one eye may see features hidden to the other eye as they=20
view scenes from slightly different positions. An earlier reference to=20
this same effect can be found in Euclid's 'Optics' from around 300 BCE.=20
Both Leonardo and Euclid considered spheres and round columns to=20
generate this effect. Proving, at least to me, that they fully grasped=20
the conciept of stereopsis.=20

The first account of stereoscopic vision is usually the citation given=20
by Wheatstone of the 1833 edition of Herbert Mayo's 'Outline of Human=20
Physiology', in which Mayo refers to an unpublished (1832) paper of=20
Wheatstone's.  Wheatstone and Mayo worked together at King's College,=20
London.("Hey, if you don't believe me, then just ask me!")

The basis of stereo vision was clearly described severall years prior to=20
this in Joseph Harris's 'Treatise on Opticks', 1775:
"And by the parallax on account of the distance betwixt our eyes, we can=20
distinguish besides the front, part of the two sides of a near=20
object...and this gives a visible relievo to such objects, which helps=20
greatly to raise or detach them from the plane, on which they lie: Thus,=20
the nose on the face, is the more remarkably raised by our seeing each=20
side at once!"=20

>"I understood that SL3D used anaglyph which was not invented until the=20
>1850,s..."

The advantage of anaglyph is that it can be used to overlay the=20
left/right images in color. As our Lyncean Dr. George pointed out,=20
anaglyphics are a display scheme. My first patent, eg., was for an=20
optically derived SL3D microscope. By SL3D I origionally meant an=20
optical system that encoded the objective so that it could relay depth=20
information. SL3D has now become to mean any single objective system.





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