Real-time 3d-tele-immersion

In this paper we present the first implementation of a new medi um for tele-collaboration. The realized testbed consists of two tele-cubicles at two Internet nodes. At each tele-cubicle a stereo-rig is used to provide an accurate dense 3D-reconstruction of a person in action. The two real d ynamic worlds are exchanged over the network and visualized stereoscopically. The remote communicatio n and the dynamic nature of tele-collaboration raise the question of optimal representation for graphics and vision . We treat the issues of limited bandwidth, latency, and processing power with a tunable 3D-representation where th e user can decide over the trade-off between delay and 3D-resolution by tuning the spatial resolution, the size of the working volume, and the uncertainty of reconstruction. Due to the limited number of cameras and displays our system c an not provide the user with a surround-immersive feeling. However, it is the first system that uses 3D-real-data that are reconstructed online at another site. The system has been implemented with low-cost off-the-shelf ha rdw re and has been successfully demonstrated in local area networks.

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