Light Field Technology – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

March 14, 2018

Google Lights the Way with Welcome to Light Fields

One of the more appealing characteristics of virtual reality (VR) is its ability to transport a user to a new environment. As such, there is a demand for technology that can increase this feeling of presence, and Google is experimenting with one of those possibilities – Light Field technology.

Light Fields are, essentially, a set of sophisticated algorithms that can capture, stitch and render 360-degree video or VR animations in a way that creates a sense of realism and ‘presence’ in the VR environment.

This involves creating a virtual world that reacts to the user. In the real world, if you move your head, the light and shadows will change as you move, with light bouncing of surfaces in different ways as the perspective changes. Light Field technology allows this to be replicated in virtual environment, allowing for a richer VR experience.

Google are demonstrating the potential of this technology with the release of a new application on Steam VR called Welcome to Light Fields. This app is available for free on Steam for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. This app will give users a guided tour of the Light Field technology and lets them explore some of the things that might be possible in future VR apps and videogames.

In order to capture the footage needed for Welcome to Light Fields, Google used a modified GoPro Odyssey Jump camera, bending it into a vertical arc of 16 cameras mounted on a rotating platform. This allows the camera to capture all the different rays of light entering the volume of space.

To demonstrate the technology, Google took its specialised camera rig to a range of remarkable places. Among them were the intricate ceramic tile patterns decorating the Mosaic Tile House in Venice, the stained glass windows of St. Stephen’s Church in Granada Hills and even a view of NASA’s retired Space Shuttle Discovery.

The Welcome to Light Fields app can be found on Steam for free, further information can be found on the Google blog and the Steam store page. VRFocus will continue to inform you of new and innovative VR apps and experiences.

January 29, 2018

Report Says Market For Light Field Technology Worth $1.8B by 2023

Light Field technology is an emerging technology being investigated by several companies working in areas such as 3D mapping and scanning as well as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). An analysis by research firm MarketsandMarkets shows that this market will continue to grow over the next few years.

The report shows that the current market in Light Field Technology is valued at $924.7 million (USD) as of 2018, and is expected to reach over $1,822.3 million by 2023. According to the report, this growth will be driven by rising demand for Light Field technology for movie special effects, prototyping and design, marketing and immersive media.

Avegant MarsRover_lightfield

Light Field technology is being heavily researched due to its potential to create realistic virtual objects and environments in a naturalistic way. The technology can be used to capture real-world objects and locations and convert them into 3D digital images in a way that looks realistic to the viewer. In this way, it can be used to scan and map environments for AR or MR experiences that are accurate to real-world equivalents.

The report notes that one of the main focus areas for research into this technology is for medicine and healthcare. Obtaining accurate images of a patient, inside and out is critical for diagnosis and could potentially be useful for mixed reality surgical procedures – something which has already been experimented with. The report predicts that healthcare is likely to continue to hold a large share in the light field market, with media and entertainment seeing the highest growth.

MarketsandMarkets write that North America is currently the holder of the largest share of the light field technology market, though notes that the Asia-Pacific region is also seeing significant development in this area, and is expected to see significant growth during the forecast period.

The full report is available to download from the MarketsandMarkets website. As usual, VRFocus will keep you updated on the latest industry reports and trends.

January 26, 2018

Holographic Smartphone Red Hydrogen One To Launch in Summer

Red have been somewhat cagey about its upcoming smartphone, the Red Hydrogen One. Only certain people have managed to get their hands on one to test its capabilities, but it has nonetheless attracted attention, partially due to the promise of a high-quality phone camera, but also due to the promise of a type of VR display without a headset. Now new information has emerged proposing a release window of Summer 2018.

Red Studios is best known as a maker of professional-grade cameras, so its announcement that it was producing a smartphone came something of a surprise for many. Though some solid details have emerged from months of swirling rumour, there is much about the device that is still unknown.

As reported by The Verge, Red CEO Jim Jannard has announced on the company’s own forum that the intended release date for the red Hydrogen One is Summer 2018, putting the expected time of release somewhere between June and September. Jannard also confirmed that some mobile carriers have already agreed to support the device in North America, though which carriers were involved was not specified.

Some of the specifications for the device were also confirmed, such as the expected price tag of $1,195 (USD) or £855 (GBP). Though rather expensive for a phone, though matches up with the price range Red uses for its cameras. Indeed, the Red Hydrogen One will be incorporating Red’s camera technology, including mounting points to add specialist lenses.

The device comes equipped with a 2560 x 1440 holographic display that is said to use light field technology to produce a 3D or AR-like effect, something developed through a partnership with Hewlett Packard spin-off company Leia Inc. Though prototypes of the Red Hydrogen One have made their way into the hands of selected reviewers, it is still not widely known how well this holographic display performs.

For further news on the Red Hydrogen One and other new and innovative immersive technology, keep checking back with VRFocus.

January 8, 2018

NextVR Plans 6DOF, Increased Quality, and AR Support for Live VR Video in 2018

Today, live event broadcasting specialists NextVR announced three technology advancements to their platform coming this year: six degrees of freedom-enabled content, higher resolution output, and augmented reality support. A sneak peek of the technologies is being shown to media at CES 2018.

Positional tracking is the dream for immersive video content, but it is a complex hardware and software challenge. If done correctly, the improvement over common 3DoF content is significant, both in terms of comfort and presence. NextVR claim that their 6DoF solution will make obstructed views “a thing of the past” and that users will be able to naturally shift their vantage point to look around a referee or spectator as they would in reality.

The company haven’t provided details about their process, but 6DoF support has been on their road map for some time, having spoken about the use of light field technology for this purpose in 2015. High quality volumetric video has been demonstrated with enormous camera rigs from companies such as HypeVR and Lytro, but NextVR’s solution is likely to be more compact for the practicalities of event capture and broadcast; on-demand 6DoF content in 2018 is expected be followed by live 6DoF broadcasting.

“VR is the most demanding visual medium ever created and we’re just beginning to deliver on its potential to convincingly create experiences that mimic reality,” says David Cole, NextVR Co-Founder and CEO. “The ability to move naturally inside the experience and the increased ability to see detail add a critical level of presence and realism.”

Higher fidelity output is coming to NextVR early this year, as a result of platform optimisations. The company says it has “exploited and enhanced the detail capture capability of its proprietary VR cameras and encoder infrastructure,” which enables “much higher resolution and higher detailed playout on compatible VR headsets.”

In addition, NextVR plans to “broadly support” AR devices in mid-2018. Exactly how NextVR’s popular live event content will be presented in augmented reality is unclear, but the company says “this cohesive blend of real and transmitted reality allows for real life social engagement while still delivering an unmatched entertainment experience.”

Launched in 2009, NextVR has many years of experience in live broadcast, transitioning from stereoscopic 3D content delivery as Next3D to a VR-focused platform. In recent years, the company has concentrated its efforts on mobile VR platforms such as Gear VR and Daydream, and only recently introduced support for 6DoF-capable hardware in the form of Windows Mixed Reality and PlayStation VR apps in October 2017. While the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive surprisingly still lack support, the company has further plans to support new hardware this year, “including affordable and powerful all-in-one mobile headsets.”

We have feet on the ground at CES, so check back for all things virtual and augmented.

The post NextVR Plans 6DOF, Increased Quality, and AR Support for Live VR Video in 2018 appeared first on Road to VR.

October 4, 2017

Avegant Ships Development Kits for Light Field Display Technology

Earlier this year, Avegant announced it had made a breakthrough in augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) with its Light Field Display technology. Now the company has announced that it has begun shipping its Light Field Display Development Kits.

The main goal of Avegant’s Light Field Display technology is to solve a fundamental problem in AR and MR – how to make virtual objects look real at various distances when imposed on the real world. Avegant says its technology solves this problem by allowing for multiple focal planes, allowing digital objects to maintain their sense of presence no matter how near or far the observer is.

The Development Kit contains hardware, software and support services for businesses and creators who wish to use the technology. Avegant has strived to simplify workflows and add value to a number of professional areas with the technology, including medicine, design, engineering, communication and education.

“Since announcing our first Light Field displays earlier this year, Avegant has been flooded with requests from companies that can’t wait to get their hands on this new technology,” said Eric Trabold, Chief Business Officer at Avegant. “Demand took off like a rocket, so we’re launching a development kit designed specifically to meet that demand. By solving the display problem, Avegant enables companies to dramatically accelerate the development of their own mixed reality products,” said Trabold. “This technology is absolutely required for the kinds of mixed reality experiences we all want.”

Some partner companies have been involved in a pilot program that allowed them to get advance access to the development kit to allow them to begin creating mixed reality applications. For other companies, pricing and availability is available by contacting Avegant via the company’s website.

VRFocus will bring you further news on Avegant and Light Field Display as it becomes available.

March 15, 2017

Avegant Light Field Technology aiming to improve Mixed Reality

One of the challenges of mixed reality (MR) was how to make virtual objects seem just as ‘real’ as the physical objects beside them. The way that our eyes and brain interact means that it is fairly easy for humans to see the flaws in the illusion and thus break the immersion. Avegant is aiming to change that with its Light Field Technology.

The Avegant Light Field Technology means that virtual objects used in MR and augmented reality (VR) can be viewed at multiple focal planes, meaning those objects seem just as real and solid at several different distances, including up close where most traditional forms of AR and MR virtual objects would show their flaws.

MarsRover_lightfield

Avegant spent quite some time studying human sight and the ergonomics of head-mounted displays (HMDs) in order to be able to integrate the new technology into existing platforms and hardware, such as the Unity engine. A lot of the research was done as part of their project to create the Avegant Glyph, a HMD that also acts as a personal media player and VR movie platform that streams directly from a smartphone or PC.

“Mixed reality will change the way we teach, learn, work and play,” said Joerg Tewes, CEO of Avegant. “Avegant created the first complete mixed reality solution for hardware and software developers to create sharp, brilliant virtual objects within arm’s reach.”

“At Avegant we are reimagining screens,” added Edward Tang, Co-Founder and CTO at Avegant. “The biggest stumbling block for mixed reality today is creating crystal clear images that are within one meter. Without this capability, most mixed reality use cases simply can’t materialize. We’ve overcome that obstacle, and can’t wait for people to experience the results.”

VRFocus will keep you updated on the latest Avegant news and other advances in AR/VR/MR.