A
Queen’s University researcher has created a Star Trek-like human-scale
3D videoconferencing pod that allows people in different locations to
video conference as if they are standing in front of each other.
“Why
Skype when you can talk to a life-size 3D holographic image of another
person?” says professor Roel Vertegaal, director of the Human Media Lab.
The
technology Dr. Vertegaal and researchers at the Queen’s Human Media Lab
have developed is called TeleHuman and looks like something from the
Star Trek holodeck. Two people simply stand infront of their own
life-size cylindrical pods and talks to a 3D hologram-like images of
each other. Cameras capture and track 3D video and convert into the
life-size image.
Since
the 3D video image is visible 360 degrees around the Pod, the person
can walk around it to see the other person’s side or back.
While
the technology may seem like it comes from a galaxy far, far away, it’s
not as complicated as most would think. Dr. Vertegaal and his team used
mostly existing hardware—including a 3D projector, a 1.8 metre-tall
translucent acrylic cylinder and a convex mirror.
The
researchers used the same Pod to create another application called
BodiPod, which presents an interactive 3D anatomy model of the human
body. The model can be explored 360 degrees around the model through
gestures and speech interactions. When people approach the Pod, they can
wave in thin air to peel off layers of tissue. In X-ray mode, as users
get closer to the Pod they can see deeper into the anatomy, revealing
the model’s muscles, organs and bone structure. Voice commands such as
“show brain” or “show heart” will automatically zoom into a 3D model of a
brain or heart.
Dr.
Vertegaal will unveil TeleHuman and BodiPod at CHI 2012, the premier
international conference on human-computer interaction, in Austin, Texas
May 5-10.
Source: Queen’s University
