RESEARCH

2004

Interacting with Augmented Holograms

Zoom: Click on Image Holography and computer graphics are being used as tools to solve individual research, engineering, and presentation problems within several domains. Up until today, however, these tools have been applied separately. Our intention is to combine both technologies to create a powerful tool for science, industry and education. We are currently investigating the possibility of integrating computer generated graphics and holograms. We presents several applications of interaction techniques to graphically enhanced holograms and give a first glance on a novel method that reconstructs depth from optical holograms. Special thanks to Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for their support. More information on the HoloGraphics project.

Bimber, O. Augmenting Holograms IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, September 2006 Bimber, O., Zeidler, T., Grundhöfer, A., Wetzstein, G., Möhring, M., Knödel, S., and Hahne, U. Interacting with Augmented Holograms In proceedings of SPIE Conference on Practical Holography XIX: Materials and Applications, January 2005 HoloGraphics Project Web-Site

Embedded Entertainment with Smart Projectors

Zoom: Click on Image Video projectors will play a major role in future home entertainment and edutainment applications – ranging from movies and television, over computer games, to multimedia presentations. With video projectors images can be displayed that are larger than the devices themselves. However, we have to give up living space and ambience to set up artificial canvases that have to be as large as the desired image. Smart projectors are able to display correct images onto arbitrary existing screen surfaces, like wallpapered walls or window curtains. Thus it can function without an artificial canvas and consequently leaves a bit more freedom to us in the decision on how to arrange our living space. Our smart projectors combine camera feedback with structured light projection to gain information about the screen surface and the environment. The calibration of such a device is fast, fully automatic and robust, and the correction of video signals can be achieved in real-time. Neither geometry information nor projector or camera parameters need to be known. Instead, the entire calibration and correction (geometry and color) is done on a per-pixel level – supported by modern pixel shader hardware. Such devices might make it possible to convert your bookshelf into a TV screen, or your kid’s closet into an interactive virtual playground. Special thanks to the Bennert Group for their support.

Bimber, O., Emmerling, A., and Klemmer, T. Embedded Entertainment with Smart Projectors IEEE Computer (cover feature), pp. 56-63, January issue 2005 Projection onto stucco inside baroque hall of castle Ettersburg Augmenting Fossil of Psittacosaurus (in cooperation with the Senckenberg Museum Frankfurt) Experiments in the vaults of castle Scharfenstein (in cooperation with Bennert Group) Playstation on Large Natural Stone Wall (3. Gründer- und Innovationstag der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar) Augmenting the Messel Urferd (in cooperation with the Senckenberg Museum Frankfurt) Under normal environment light conditions at trade fair (in cooperation with Bennert Group) Smart Projector at optics exhibition "Faszination Licht" in Jena (in cooperation with OptoNet) Smart Projector Showroom Movie: Technology (22MB) Movie: PS2 on large wall (5.5MB)

Computer Vision Library for Mobile Phones

Zoom: Click on Image Computer vision and other image processing techniques have a large potential to enhance mobile phone applications. Cell phones with integrated cameras will be able to translate foreign street signs, recognize faces, or warn the overtired driver who is getting too close to the roadside. We are developing a first computer vision library for Symbian OS – which is the dominant operating system for smart phones. It comprises standard components that are adapted to the limited resources of today’s phones. Beside convolution filters, such as Gauss for smoothening, and Laplace and LoG for edge detection, higher-level corner detectors, such as SUSAN and Plessey, as well as template and pattern-matching, such as normalized cross-correlation and optical flow have been implemented.

Phone Vision Library R1.0 (~200KB)

Video See-Through AR and Optical Tracking with Consumer Cell Phones

Zoom: Click on Image To enable mobile devices, such as head-mounted displays and PDAs, to support video see-through augmented reality is a popular research topic. However, such technology is not widely-spread outside the research community today. It has been estimated that by the end of the year 2005 approximately 50% of all cell phones will be equipped with digital cameras. Consequently, using cell phones as platform for video see-through AR has the potential of addressing a brought group of end users and applications. Compared to high-end PDAs and HMDs together with personal computers, the implementation of video see-through AR on the current fun- and smart-phone generations is a challenging task: Ultra-low video-stream resolutions, little graphics and memory capabilities, as well as slow processors set technological limitations. We have realized a prototype solution for video see-through AR on consumer cell phones. It supports optical tracking of passive paper markers and the correct integration of 2D/3D graphics into the live video-stream at interactive rates. We aim at applications, such as interactive tour guiding for museums and tourism, as well as at mobile games. Special thanks to Nokia Research for their support.

Moehring, M., Lessig, C. and Bimber, O. Video See-Through AR on Consumer Cell Phones In proceedings of International Symposium on Augmented and Mixed Reality (ISMAR'04), pp. 252-253, 2004 Moehring, M., Lessig, C. and Bimber, O. Optical Tracking and Video See-Through AR on Consumer Cell Phones In proceedings of Workshop on Virtual and Augmented Reality of the GI-Fachgruppe AR/VR, pp. 193-204, 2004 Movie (~14MB) DivX Codec