Ryuhei Tenmoku

A wearable augmented reality system using positioning infrastructures and a pedometer

This paper describes a wearable augmented reality systemusing positioning infrastructures and a pedometer. Torealize augmented reality systems, the position and orientationof users viewpoint should be obtained in real time. Theproposed system measures the orientation of users viewpointby an inertial sensor and the users position using positioninginfrastructures in environments and a pedometer.The system specifies the users position using the positionID received from RFID tags or IrDA markers which are thecomponents of positioning infrastructures. When the usergoes away from them, the users position is alternatively estimatedby using a pedometer. We have developed a navigationsystem using the proposed techniques and have proventhe feasibility of the system with experiments.

A wearable augmented reality system for navigation using positioning infrastructures and a pedometer

This paper describes a wearable augmented reality system using positioning infrastructures and a pedometer. To realize augmented reality systems, the position and orientation of users viewpoint should be obtained in real time. The proposed system measures the orientation of users viewpoint by an inertial sensor and the users position using positioning infrastructures in environments and a pedometer. The system specifies the users position using the position ID received from RFID tags or IrDA markers which are the components of positioning infrastructures. When the user goes away from them, the users position is alternatively estimated by using a pedometer. We have developed a navigation system using the proposed techniques and have proven the feasibility of the system with experiments.

Annotating user-viewed objects for wearable AR systems

By realizing augmented reality on wearable computers, it is possible to overlay annotations on the real world based on the users current position and orientation. However, it is difficult for the user to understand links between annotations and real objects intuitively when the scene is complicated or many annotations are overlaid at the same time. This paper describes a view management method which emphasizes user-viewed real objects and their annotations using 3D models of the real scene. The proposed method highlights the objects viewed by the user. In addition, when the viewed object is occluded by other real objects, the object is complemented by using an image, which is made from 3D models, on the overlaid image.

A Novel Approach to On-Site Camera Calibration and Tracking for MR Pre-visualization Procedure

This paper presents camera calibration and tracking method for mixed reality based pre-visualization system for filmmaking. The proposed calibration method collects environmental information required for tracking efficiently since the rough camera path and target environment are known before actual shooting. Previous camera tracking methods using natural feature are suitable for outdoor environment. However, it takes large human cost to construct the database. Our proposed method reduces the cost of calibration process by using fiducial markers. Fiducial markers are used as reference points and feature landmark database is constructed automatically. In shooting phase, moreover, the speed and robustness of tracking are improved by using SIFT descriptor.

Intuitive annotation of user-viewed objects for wearable AR systems

By realizing augmented reality on wearable computers, it is possible to overlay annotations on the real world based on the users current position and orientation. However, it is difficult for the user to understand links between annotations and real objects intuitively when the scene is complicated or many annotations are overlaid at the same time. This paper describes a view management method which emphasizes user-viewed real objects and their annotations using 3D models of the real scene. The proposed method highlights the objects viewed by the user. In addition, when the viewed object is occluded by other real objects, the object is complemented by using a synthetic image, which is made from 3D models, on the overlaid image.

Wearable augmented reality system using an IrDA device and a passometer

This paper describes a wearable augmented reality system with an IrDA device and a passometer. To realize augmented reality systems, the position and orientation of users viewpoint should be obtained in real time for aligning the real and virtual coordinate systems. In the proposed system, the orientation of users viewpoint is measured by an inertial sensor attached to the users glasses, and the position is measured by using an IrDA device and a passometer. First, the users position is specified exactly when the user comes into the infrared ray range of the IrDA markers which are set up to the appointed points. When the user goes out of the infrared ray range, the users position is estimated by using a passometer. The passometer is constructed of an electronic compass and acceleration sensors. The former can detect the users walking direction. The latter can count how many steps the user walks. These data and the users pace make it possible to estimate the users position in the neighborhood of the IrDA markers. We have developed a navigation system based on using the techniques above and have proven the feasibility of the system with experiments.

On-site real-time 3D match move for MR-based previsualization with relighting

We are developing a previsualization method called MR-PreViz, which utilizes mixed reality technology for filmmaking [Tenmoku et al. 2006]. To determine camera-work at the shooting site, estimating camera position and posture is required. In this paper, we introduce a method for on-site real-time 3D match move and relighting for MR-PreViz. To realize the match move, we developed a computer vision-based camera tracking method using natural feature tracking. This method is based on details about the site captured in advance. The method can automatically construct a feature landmark database (LMDB) using a fiducial marker. Moreover, the result of the method enables MR-PreViz to design lighting for the site using a relighting method. To add lighting effects to the real objects, the relighting method uses reflectance properties of the real objects and LMDB.

A new view management method for wearable augmented reality systems: emphasizing the user-viewed object and the corresponding annotation

This paper describes a new view management method for annotation overlay using augmented reality(AR) systems. The proposed method emphasizes the user-viewed object and the corresponding annotation in order to present links between annotations and real objects clearly. This method includes two kinds of techniques for emphasizing the user-viewed object and the annotation. First, the proposed method highlights the object which is gazed at by the user using a 3D model without textures. Secondly, when the user-viewed object is occluded by other objects, the object is complemented by using an image made from a detailed 3D model with textures. This paper also describes experiments which show the feasibility of the proposed method by using a prototype wearable AR system.

Balancing Design Freedom and Constraints in Wall Posters Masquerading as AR Tracking Markers

This paper describes how to construct a mixed reality (MR) environment by adopting a geometric registration method using visually unobtrusive flat posters on the wall. The proposed method is one of the several approaches of the semi-fiducial invisibly coded symbols (SFINCS) research project, the purpose of which is achieving a good balance between elegance with regard to the environment and robust registration. In this method, posters tentatively used for geometric registration are designed to blend with the environment. However, they are recognized as markers based on certain design rules. Posters in a real scene can be found in real time using these design rules. This paper introduces procedures for developing poster design rules using toolkits developed by us.

Kaidan: Japanese horror experience in interactive mixed reality

This novel demonstration provides the ultimate nightmare experience. Virtual ghosts depicted by first-of-its-kind technology, scary sounds, and visual mixed-reality experiences attack visitors in a dark, spooky Japanese room. Ghosts are luridly dramatized using relighting techniques, and visitors are terrified by various gimmicks in the room.