See the Eyeliner in action.

Pepper's Ghost was invented by Professor John Henry Pepper and English engineer Henry Dircks in the 19th Century. The Eyeliner™ 3D Projection System was conceived by Mr Uwe Maass, who designed the system after researching the old theatre illusion Pepper’s Ghost.

Introduced into theatres in the 1860’s, Pepper’s Ghost startled theatre goers with an effect that allowed live people or objects to slowly materialize into a scene. This illustration shows one early variation from the perspective of the stage.

In this case the "ghost" is an actor located forward of and below the stage floor. The glass pane illustrates the reflection of the offstage "ghost" while the leftmost "ghost" simulates what the audiences actually see. Later versions of the invention included a lens to improve on the image but this was as far as Professor Pepper and Engineer Dircks managed to take the illusion, the main stumbling block being the inherent weight of glass and the fact that when a really large piece was set at a 45 degree angle it would brake under its own weight.

Pepper’s Ghost images have also been achieved in the past using screens made from gauze, Perspex and semi-mirrored glass. Generally, image sizes above 6m² (say 3x2) have been achieved only by welding sheets of glass/Perspex together, resulting in join lines spoiling the clarity or reality of the image.

Eyeliner™ System is a whole new way of projecting video to create the illusion of life-size, full colour, 3D moving images. All of the images used on a Eyeliner™ System are 3-dimensional images, but projected as two-dimensional images into a 3D stage set. The mind of the audience creates the 3D illusion. This means that production costs are minimal, needing only a single camera lens for filming and a single projector for the playback.

The Walt Disney Company has further pioneered the Pepper’s Ghost Techniques since the 1960’s using the effect to thrill visitors in their Disneyland Theme Parks around the world.