Full-parallax autostereoscopic demonstrations of EyeReal. Credit: Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09752-y
Watching 3D movies and TV shows is a fun and exciting experience, where images leap out of the screen. To get this effect, you usually have to wear a special pair of glasses. But that could soon be a thing of the past as scientists have developed a new display system that delivers a realistic 3D experience without the need for any eyewear.
The main reason why we've waited so long for a screen like this is a tough physics rule called the Space-Bandwidth Product (SBP). To get a perfect 3D image, you need a big screen (the "space") and a wide viewing area (the "bandwidth") so the picture looks good even when you turn your head. Unfortunately, according to the rule, you can't have both at the same time. If you make the screen big, the viewing angle shrinks. If you increase the viewing area, the TV must get smaller. All previous attempts to break this trade-off have failed. But not this time.
AI breakthrough
The system, called EyeReal, was developed by researchers from Shanghai University AI Laboratory and Fudan University, also located in Shanghai. Details of how it works are in a paper published in the journal Nature. It uses artificial intelligence to create glasses-free 3D visuals on desktop-sized screens. Instead of trying to increase the fixed physical limit, EyeReal uses the limited information more effectively.
"EyeReal maximizes the effective use of available optical information through continuous computational optimization, enabling a practical coexistence of large imaging size and wide viewing angles within existing physical limits," wrote Weijie Ma, the lead author of the paper.
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Real-time rendering of dynamic content on the practical display. Credit: Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09752-y
The AI tracks eye movement in real time and only sends the perfect 3D light field directly to a viewer's eyes. The system does not waste light by sending it everywhere because it adapts to the user's head position and eye movements in real time. No special optical devices are needed, just a stack of three LCD panels, a sensor to track the viewer's head and eye position and the AI program (a deep learning network that calculates the pattern needed on the screen to emit the correct light field).
Goodbye to 3D glasses
To prove their prototype works, the team tested it with detailed computer-generated scenes and real-world photos. They confirmed it provided a viewing angle of more than 100 degrees and a complete 3D experience, meaning the image was clear and adapted perfectly as the user moved their eyes and changed focus.
The next step for the researchers is to refine their AI system and upgrade the technology to handle several viewers at once.
Written for you by our author Paul Arnold, edited by Gaby Clark, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you.
More information: Weijie Ma et al, Glasses-free 3D display with ultrawide viewing range using deep learning, Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09752-y
A glasses-free 3D display uses AI to direct images straight to the viewer's eyes, Nature (2025). doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03828-5
