Bhowanipore resident gets patent for 2D to 3D image tech

A Kolkatan has developed a technology that can convert a two-dimensional image to a three-dimensional one. Sandip Chatterjee, 52, received a patent for this technology from the Union government in February.

“A picture gives information. This technology can enrich that information,” said Chatterjee, a freelance software developer who lives in south Kolkata’s Bhowanipore.

He gave some examples of where this technology can be used.

• A student sees the picture of a pyramid in Egypt for the first time in her textbook. The two-dimensional image is converted into a three-dimensional image if the book is printed in his technology. The student will need a pair of basic 3D glasses to see the 3D image.
• A diamond jeweller wants to come up with a newspaper advertisement for a pendant. A pair of 3D glasses come with the paper. A reader can almost “feel” the pendant.
• Normal X-ray plates can be turned into a three-dimensional image. This can help in the faster detection of cancer, tumour or some other orthopaedic disorders.“There is a whole range of glasses available. A basic model can be made with cellophane paper and cardboard. There is no end to high-end varieties,” he said. 3D tech is popular in films. Films like Avatar, Jurassic Park and The Jungle Book have run to packed theatres. Chatterjee said his technology could also be used to turn old children’s classics into 3D films.Chatterjee did not go to any engineering college. A former student of Mitra Institution in Bhowanipore, he graduated with commerce from Calcutta University. He is “largely self-taught in software” barring a few certification courses. From a very young age, he was interested in painting and photography. “As a teenager, I had made a makeshift film projector,” he said.
  
  Chatterjee said his technology is not unprecedented. “It is available in the west. But my version is inexpensive than those,” he said. “Students of medicine, archaeology and architecture will find this very helpful.” He has been researching this technology for 14 years and applied for a patent in 2010.
  
  “Some apps may already do similar things, primarily for entertainment. My technology is oriented for science," said Chatterjee.