Boson Inc. allows a computer monitor to show 3D images that can be viewed with “passive” glasses, while battery-powered “active” glasses are required to see the images on a large screen and projector on loan from Christie Digital.

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For two guys with a razor-sharp vision of the future, Christian Stewart and Nicolas Kane sure do spend a lot of time wearing funny glasses.

The ASU student entrepreneurs and co-founders of Boson Inc. are spending two days at SkySong this week demonstrating the 3D content and systems they believe could dramatically change the way teachers teach and students learn.

“With this system, we can take apart the heart and look inside it,” says Kane, showing off one of the 3D modules built for classroom instruction.  

An impressive rendering of what looks like an aircraft engine is on screen next.  “This type of [computer-aided design] content can be built on the fly,” says Stewart.  “Professors can build their own models and then even use them online.”

Boson was featured last October in an Arizona Republic story covering the launch of Venture Catalyst, ASU’s entrepreneurial assistance initiative designed to help faculty, students, alumni and ASU-linked companies launch new startups or accelerate existing ventures.  

The education space is a relatively new area for Boson, which launched with a focus on entertainment and sports.  But being an entrepreneur means being flexible, says Stewart.

“We go wherever the content goes.  We’ve been talking to people about lots of different applications and education is one where we see a lot of potential.”

More than a year after the blockbuster success of Avatar, Stewart says there’s still a coolness factor associated with 3D.

“When students across the country are trying to figure out where they want to go to college, imagine if ASU could say, ‘By the way, you can take some of your classes in 3D.’”

The demonstration includes two different displays.  A computer monitor shows 3D images that can be viewed with “passive” glasses, while battery-powered “active” glasses are required to see the images on a large screen and projector on loan from Christie Digital.

Different systems are suitable for different uses, explains Stewart.  The passive system would work well in a small lab setting, while the larger display is intended for a larger auditorium or lecture hall.

Stewart and Kane said a representative from the Visualization Group in the ASU School of Life Sciences came by earlier and wanted to see more.  

Boson’s demo continues on Tuesday, April 26, at SkySong.  ASU faculty, staff and students are invited to come see the 3D learning technology for themselves.

Boson is a 2010 Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative venture.