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Video Panoramic Demo
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PANAquarium Project
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3D Visualization
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Immersivision: Panoramic Video
The acquisition and presentation of high-resolution panoramic video (PV) presents a number of technical difficulties, as well as excellent User Centered Sciences research opportunities. We are using a five-camera 360-degree PV system that acquires high-resolution (>3Kx480) panoramic video images. These images are recorded at 30Hz frame rates and played back for later viewing. During playback, users can wear a head-mounted display (HMD) and a head-tracking device that allows them to turn their heads freely to observe the desired portions of the panoramic scene. Incorporation of immersive audio is anticipated to enhance the usability and sense of presence in these environments and this component has been integrated into investigations with this system. We have made significant advances over the last year in our technical capture and delivery of these Integrated Media Systems (IMS) environments and we continue to explore the issues for creating usable and useful 360 Degree PV environments. The issues that need to be addressed for successful PV application development were detailed in a paper by our lab that was presented at the 2001 International Human Computer Interaction Conference and we recently detailed advances in this work at the 2003 edition of HCI and at the American Psychological Association Convention at the Media Psychology Presidential Symposium [3]. We currently have a number of major application projects that we are investigating in terms of the additive value for PV capture and delivery in the areas of Mental Health, Journalism (User Directed News) and Historical Documentation and in Art and Entertainment. These application areas are currently providing test beds for further investigation into the user centered science issues relevant to immersive IMS, particularly in examining the role of immersion and presence on information processing and emotional arousal.
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Laboratory
This collaboration between IMSC and USC School of Fine Art, involved building a circular fish tank around a panoramic camera with live tropical fish swimming within and a coral reef photo serving as background on the outermost tank wall. The users wore an Head Mounted Display, immersing them within the aquarium environment.
Following the aquarium immersion, the coral reef photo background was manually removed to reveal the background activity through the glass which then "breaks of the illusion" for the user. This application serves as test for a future version in which the panoramic camera will be placed within a sealed plexiglass tube and lowered into a very large commercial aquarium exhibit.