Three-dimensional animated graphics can be merged into live video in real time to create a fusion of real and computer-generated visuals using software created in the department of engineering science at the U.K.’s University of Oxford. The software, called Parallel Tracking and Mapping (PTAM), has been licensed to augmented reality company QderoPateo LLC by Isis Innovation, Oxford’s TTO. QderoPateo will integrate the software into mobile phone applications to provide advertising and other services.
PTAM is a camera-tracking system that maps an environment visible through the camera. The software can locate surfaces such as a tabletop in a room or the ground outside, which become the platforms on which a virtual object’s movements are played out. The system performs in real time without pre-stored maps or tagged environments by building a detailed 3-D map containing thousands of features that can be tracked at frame-rate with accuracy and robustness that rival model-based systems. The software also can recognize objects and scenes through the appearance of clusters of features that form a digital signature of the location. As the map is built, the camera viewpoint and angle are calculated, enabling the projection of 3-D graphics into the video stream so they appear to belong in the same scene.
“The blending of real and virtual worlds is common enough in films and television, but is usually achieved by extensive processing of the recorded images or by filming in studios with known objects at fixed locations,” says David Murray, professor in Oxford’s Active Vision Group. “The PTAM software allows developers to augment a camera’s video stream in real time and in everyday locations. It allows developers to build augmented reality applications for consumer markets and education, both quickly and economically.” Implemented on smartphones, PTAM can supplement sensors like GPS and digital compasses to improve the accuracy of the positioning and to maintain the position when out of range of satellite, 3G, and WiFi signals. QderoPateo plans to integrate the Oxford software into its smartphone platform, Ouidoo, to allow third-party software developers to create a more intuitive and immersive end-user experience, according to Steve Chao, the company’s cofounder. Isis Innovation also is looking for commercial partners who will develop the software for other applications.
Source: The Business Magazine