Paper Reading #13: Combining Multiple Depth Cameras and Projectors for Interactions On, Above, and Between Surfaces

Combining Multiple Depth Cameras and Projectors for Interactions On, Above, and Between Surfaces
 
UIST 2010

By:
Andrew D. Wilson, Hrvoje Benko.

• Andrew D. Wilson is currently a Senior Researcher Microsoft Research. He has a BA from Cornell University and an MS and PhD to go along with that from MIT.
• Hrvoje Benko has a PhD from Columbia University. He is currently a researcher at Microsoft Research.

Summary
Hypothesis
The authors of this paper have developed a product called LightSpace that will allow the conversion of any normal space into an interactive 3D ish surface.

Methods
For purposes of testing they had LightSpace displayed at a convention available for public use. People Were encouraged to explore and push the system to its limits. The few hundred people that used LightSpace were observed by researchers while they were using the system so as to record test data and help improve the system.

Results
The system works pretty well as far typical use goes. From a technical perspective, there is no limitation upon how many people can use the system at once, however the technical constraints are not the same as physical constraints. While the system may support infinity people, the room for the system does not. In addition to that performance drops drastically with multiple people on the system. They users found the system easy to use, however like everything else it took some effort on the users part to get used to the systems operation, but that is naturally expected.

Contents
LightSpace as described in this paper uses multiple projectors and depth cameras to serve its purpose. All the components work in tandem to make the entire room a massive Start Trek like reality. This allows LightSpace to turn any and all interactive surfaces into one massive interactive surface that allows users to work in any way shape and form.

Discussion
I find the step in the direction of a Star Trek like reality quite awesome. The ability to have access in all directions on all surfaces seems positively brilliant to me. Admittedly this was a purely lab designed, tested and implemented idea it seems pretty impressive. It seems to be one step closer to 3D with an even closer step to ubiquitous computers.