Tag Archives: depth

Sony’s innovative eye-tracking display lets you see 3D holograms like never before

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There’s always been this fundamental problem with 3D screens. If you’ve ever worn a pair of 3D glasses to the movies, you’ll notice something. No matter where you sit in the massive auditorium, the 3D view seems to be exactly the same. Let me explain. Imagine being in a car. What you see from the driver’s seat is slightly, but significantly different from what you see in the passenger’s seat… right? Things shift ever so slightly when you shift seats because of depth and parallax. That doesn’t happen with the 3D movie, however, because no matter where in the auditorium you’re seated, you’ll always see exactly how the 3D camera captured the film. Your location in the movie-hall plays no role on how you perceive objects… so as much as things seem 3D, they’re still artificial.

Sony, however, seems to have cracked this problem with its Spatial Reality display. For starters, the display uses a lenticular film so that you see 3D without needing glasses, but more importantly, the display knows what angle you’re looking at it from. A high-speed sensor tracks the position of your eyes, allowing the objects on the screen to rotate ever so slightly to ‘match your view’… so if you’ve loaded an image of a car, leaning towards the right will ACTUALLY show you the right-hand side of the 3D model. The display renders out the different views as you move around in real-time, creating a very realistic representation of 3D models on your screen.

The Spatial Reality display however isn’t made for watching 3D movies. It works on 3D files instead of stereoscopic images, creating multiple views in 360°. The lenticular layer on the display, however, creates two slightly different views for your left and right eye, creating a sense of depth too, ticking both crucial boxes required to make 3D actually feel like 3D. The display is currently more of an experimental device that’s made for a niche group. Priced at $4999, it obviously isn’t for everybody, although I could see automotive designers, architects, game designers, and industrial designers working on large projects using a display of this nature to be able to visualize their designs and models in virtual 3D without needing to print or fabricate them for better understanding.

Designer: Sony

Microsoft patent applications take Kinect into mobile cameras, movie-making

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Microsoft patent applications take Kinect into mobile cameras, moviemaking

Microsoft has never been shy about its ambitions for Kinect's depth sensing abilities. A pair of patent applications, however, show that its hopes and dreams are taking a more Hollywood turn. One patent has the depth camera going portable: a "mobile environment sensor" determines its trajectory through a room and generates a depth map as it goes, whether it's using a Kinect-style infrared sensor or stereoscopic cameras. If the visual mapping isn't enough, the would-be camera relies on a motion sensor like an accelerometer to better judge its position as it's jostled around. Microsoft doesn't want to suggest what kind of device (if any) might use the patent for its camera, but it's not ruling out anything from smartphones through to traditional PCs.

The second patent filing uses the Kinect already in the house for that directorial debut you've always been putting off. Hand gestures control the movie editing, but the depth camera both generates a model of the environment and creates 3D props out of real objects. Motion capture, naturally, lets the humans in the scene pursue their own short-lived acting careers. We haven't seen any immediate signs that Microsoft is planning to use this or the mobile sensor patent filing in the real world, although both are closer to reality than some of the flights of fancy that pass by the USPTO -- the movie editor has all the hallmarks of a potential Dashboard update or Kinect Fun Labs project.

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Microsoft patent applications take Kinect into mobile cameras, movie-making originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SoftKinetic’s motion sensor tracks your hands and fingers, fits in them too (video)

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Coming out of its shell as a possible Kinect foe, SoftKinetic has launched a new range sensor at Computex right on the heels of its last model. Upping the accuracy while shrinking the size, the DepthSense 325 now sees your fingers and hand gestures in crisp HD and as close as 10cm (4 inches), an improvement from the 15cm (6 inches) of its DS311 predecessor. Two microphones are also tucked in, making the device suitable for video conferencing, gaming and whatever else OEMs and developers might have in mind. We haven't tried it yet, but judging from the video, it seems to hunt finger and hand movements quite competently. Hit the break to see for yourself.

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SoftKinetic Announces World's Smallest HD Gesture Recognition Camera and Releases Far and Close Interaction Middleware

Professional Kit Available For Developers To Start Building a New Generation of Gesture-Based Experiences

TAIPEI & BRUSSELS - June 5, 2012 - SoftKinetic, the pioneering provider of 3D vision and gesture recognition technology, today announced a device that will revolutionize the way people interact with their PCs. The DepthSense 325 (DS325), a pocket-sized camera that sees both in 3D (depth) and high-definition 2D (color), delivered as a professional kit, will enable developers to incorporate high-quality finger and hand tracking for PC video games, introduce new video conferencing experiences and many other immersive PC applications. The DS325 can operate from as close as 10cm and includes a high-resolution depth sensor with a wide field of view, combined with HD video and dual microphones.

In addition, the company announced the general availability of iisu[TM] 3.5, its acclaimed gesture-recognition middleware compatible with most 3D sensors available on the market. In addition of its robust full body tracking features, iisu 3.5 now offers the capacity to accurately track users' individual fingers at 60 frames per second, opening up a new world of close-range applications.

"SoftKinetic is proud to release these revolutionary products to developers and OEMs," said Michel Tombroff, CEO of SoftKinetic. "The availability of iisu 3.5 and the DS325 clearly marks a milestone for the 3D vision and gesture recognition markets. These technologies will enable new generations of video games, edutainment applications, video conference, virtual shopping, media browsing, social media connectivity and more."

SoftKinetic will demonstrate the new PC and SmartTV experiences and at its booth at Computex, June 5-9, 2012, in the NanGang Expo Hall, Upper Level, booth N1214. For business appointments, send a meeting request to events@softkinetic.com.

The DS325 Professional Kit is available for pre-order now at SoftKinetic's online store (http://www.softkinetic.com/Store.aspx) and is expected to begin shipping in the coming weeks.

iisu 3.5 Software Development Kit is available free for non-commercial use at SoftKinetic's online store (http://www.softkinetic.com/Store.aspx) and at iisu.com.

About SoftKinetic S.A.
SoftKinetic's vision is to transform the way people interact with the digital world. SoftKinetic is the leading provider of gesture-based platforms for the consumer electronics and professional markets. The company offers a complete family of 3D imaging and gesture recognition solutions, including patented 3D CMOS time-of-flight sensors and cameras (DepthSense[TM] family of products, formerly known as Optrima product family), multi-platform and multi-camera 3D gesture recognition middleware and tools (iisu[TM] family of products) as well as games and applications from SoftKinetic Studios.

With over 8 years of R&D on both hardware and software, SoftKinetic solutions have already been successfully used in the field of interactive digital entertainment, consumer electronics, health care and other professional markets (such as digital signage and medical systems). SoftKinetic, iisu, DepthSense and The Interface Is You are trade names or registered trademarks of SoftKinetic. For more information on SoftKinetic please visit www.softkinetic.com. For videos of SoftKinetic-related products visit SoftKinetic's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/SoftKinetic.

Continue reading SoftKinetic's motion sensor tracks your hands and fingers, fits in them too (video)

SoftKinetic's motion sensor tracks your hands and fingers, fits in them too (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 22:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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