ITR: Collaborative Research: Development of Head-mounted Projective Display for Distance Collaborative Environments

这是一个为期三年的连续奖励的第一年资助。虚拟或增强环境的一个苛刻的应用领域是多用户协作环境，其中本地站点或远程站点处的多个用户彼此通信并与合成或虚拟场景交互。在必要的传感器和设备中，有效的可视化设备和实时图像采集系统是两个主要挑战。该项目的目标是开发一种新型的可视化设备，称为头戴式投影显示器（HMPD），建立一个多用户交互工作台，通过集成开发的HMPD技术与一个独特的实时图像采集系统称为全聚焦相机，并评估和量化系统作为一个有效的工具，远程协作。提出的头戴式投影显示器（HMPD）与柔软、不失真和耐用的投影表面相结合，作为当前可视化设备的替代品。它的新概念提出了解决部分问题的最先进的可视化设备，如大失真与宽视场，虚拟和真实的对象之间的遮挡矛盾，亮度与背景照明的冲突。建议HMPD的几个属性使其非常适合多用户协作应用程序。研究工作将致力于通过引入衍射光学元件（DOE）和塑料材料来设计和实现轻质和紧凑的头戴式原型，并研究优化显示器的照明和用于成像目的的逆反射材料特性的方法。在一个地点，将使用HMPD概念并增加一个从独特的全焦点摄像系统开发的图像采集系统，建立一个具有远程呈现能力的多用户交互式实验台原型。在另一个地点，将建立一个壁画显示系统与传统的立体视频系统位于附近的壁画显示，其中一个或几个合作者也将聚集。远程协作工作将在伊利诺斯大学-厄巴纳尚潘分校的贝克曼研究所和中央佛罗里达大学的光学学院-CREOL之间进行测试，通过因特网II连接我们的实验室。最后，PI将量化深度和尺寸表示和感知精度，评估遮挡感知方面，并为HMPD和工作台和壁画原型建立全面的校准程序。结果预计将影响广泛的应用，如协作/远程协作，远程呈现，远程操作，可视化教育/远程教育。

This is the first year funding of a three-year continuing award. A demanding application area of virtual or augmented environment is multi-user collaborative environment where multiple users at either a local site or remote sites communicate with each other and interact with a synthetic or virtual scene. Among the necessary sensors and devices, an effective visualization device and a real-time image acquisition system are two main challenges. The objective of this project is to develop a novel visualization device referred to as head-mounted projective display (HMPD), build a multi-user interactive workbench by integrating the developed HMPD technology with a unique real-time image acquisition system known as an omni-focus camera, and evaluate and quantify the system as an effective tool for remote collaboration. The head-mounted projective display (HMPD) proposed is coupled with a supple, non-distorting and durable projection surface as an alternative to current visualization devices. Its novel concept suggests solutions to part of the problems of state-of-art visualization devices, such as large distortion with wide field of view, occlusion contradiction between virtual and real objects, and brightness conflict with background illumination. Several properties of the proposed HMPD make it extremely suitable for multiple-user collaborative applications. Research efforts will be made to design and implement a lightweight and compact head-mounted prototype by introducing diffractive optical element (DOE) and plastic materials, and investigate approaches to optimize the illumination of the display and retro-reflective material properties for imaging purpose. At one site, a multi-user interactive bench prototype with tele-presence capability will be built by using the HMPD concept and adding an image acquisition system developed from a unique omni-focus camera system. At the other site, a mural display system will be built with conventional stereoscopic video system located near the mural display, where one or several collaborators will also gather. Tele-collaborative work will be tested between the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois--Urbana Champaign and the School of Optics-CREOL at the University of Central Florida through the Internet II connection linking our laboratories. Finally, the PIs will quantify the depth and size representation and perception accuracy, evaluate occlusion perception aspects, and set up a comprehensive calibration procedure for the HMPD and the workbench and mural prototypes. The results are expected to impact a wide range of applications such as collaboration/tele-collaboration, tele-presence, tele-manipulation, and visualized education/tele-education.