Big Blue Ceiling

Glasses-Free 3D Telepresence

Volumetric calls on a 45-inch autostereoscopic display, no glasses required.

Eddie OffermannHardware prototyping, software architecture and engineering, demonstration

Role
Hardware prototyping, software architecture and engineering, demonstration
Areas
Telepresence, Hardware, Computer Vision, Research

We specified and selected the display hardware, a 45-inch autostereoscopic panel that shows 3D without glasses, and built and calibrated a custom wide-aspect capture rig for the best realtime volumetric capture we could get.

On the software side we implemented:

  • Volumetric streaming over RTC, with higher-quality stitching from several sensors.
  • 9-view reconstruction of the volume for high-quality glasses-free 3D.
  • Face tracking on the receiving end to drive parallax and adjust perspective, so background replacement looks right as the viewer moves.
A six-step flow: a custom wide-aspect capture rig, higher-quality stitching of several sensors, volumetric streaming over RTC, 9-view reconstruction, face tracking on the receiving end, and a 45-inch autostereoscopic display with background replacement.
Each call passes through stitching, an RTC stream and 9-view reconstruction before reaching the glasses-free display.

Recording an autostereoscopic display on video is notoriously hard, so this one is best seen in person.

Part of Enhanced Presence.

  • Enhanced Presence

    A run of prototypes chasing the feeling of being in the room with someone far away.

    • Telepresence
    • XR
    • Hardware
    • Computer Vision
    • Research

  • North Star Stereoscopic Telepresence

    A preview of a fully 3D, ultra-HD video call with realtime perspective shift.

    • Telepresence
    • Hardware
    • Computer Vision
    • Research

  • Projection AR Tabletop Gaming

    Augmented reality projected onto an ordinary table, with touch.

    • XR
    • Hardware
    • Computer Vision
    • Telepresence
    • Research

  • Transparent Volumetric Display

    A see-through, desktop-sized display that shows a remote person with realtime parallax.

    • Telepresence
    • Hardware
    • Computer Vision
    • Research