A method of creating a transparent space based on mixed reality

In this article, we propose a novel idea to create a transparent space. Accidents often happen when a person, a motorcycle, a car, etc., comes out suddenly from a blind corner. In such a place, if the shielding objects become transparent, hidden objects reveal themselves. This may contribute to preventing a lot of accidents. The proposed method creates a transparent space by the employment of a mixed-reality technique and a simple three-dimensional (3-D) recovery technique. The 3-D virtual space is created by a single camera image in real-time, and it is superposed onto a real space employing see-through vision. The observer can watch a dynamic scene of the invisible space through the object in real-time. In the experiment performed, an observer could watch persons walking around in a space hidden by an opaque partition. Future application of this technique may include its installation at various corners in buildings or at intersections on roads with bad visibility. This would surely contribute to reducing traffic accidents in future.