3-D effects may require one eye only
Peering through a peephole can bring flat images to life
Rather than donning special glasses and paying extra to see a movie in 3-D, try sitting through a regular showing with one eye closed. A new study suggests that viewers can see flat images in three dimensions by peering through a small hole with just one eye, though its methods have drawn criticism.
Researchers have long thought that the immersive effects of a 3-D movie result from binocular vision. As far back as the 1830s, scientists knew that a picture could spring to life when presented as two separate images, one for each eye. The prevailing view is that this 3-D effect occurs when the brain merges the two slightly disparate images into one. Modern 3-D movies continue to capitalize on this phenomenon.