Conferencing in a Virtual Real World
By: Ken Rigby
The fast networks and computer processing power necessary to perform virtual real-time image processing has become readily available and affordable. This article provides an investigation into how such fast networks and computer processing can be used to facilitate the sense of 'presence' when conferencing. Today's video conferencing does not provide for many social graces and physiological nuances of meetings. In particular, the environmental interaction and facial actions and body language between the meeting participants are not present.
The aim of the Virtual Real World concept is the ability to create an environment for a conference area in which many distant located meeting participants can see and hear each other and gain a sense of 'presence' comparable to that which is experienced standard 'face to face, meetings. This means that the participants should have the ability to experience non-verbal communications such as eye contact, body language and the environment relationship between participants. The ultimate goal would be to for all the participants in a conference to feel as if they were physically present in the same room and seated around the same table.
To achieve this, each participant will sit at a desk equipped with a large 'immersive' display, video cameras, and microphones. The screen will be directly in front of them driven by a 3D engine providing a true size and perspective image. The other participants being represented in the display as sitting around a virtual table (which can be a natural extension of the viewer's own desk). Each desk will be fitted with cameras and microphones to collect the data required to generate the views and sounds for the other participants. Participants will each see a unique view appropriate to their own location around the virtual table and their head position. Environmental 3D audio techniques shall also be used to give a real sense of the actual environment. Each participant will see a different view of every other participant. The generation of these multiple views is one challenge. A second challenge is that each participant will be seated in a physical environment for example an office from which his or her image needs to be extracted before it can be placed into the virtual meeting area. A third challenge is the detection of the head orientation to allow the correct view to be displayed as you move your head. However, these challenges can be tailored to suit individual conferencing needs and requirements.
Virtual Real Worlds are designed to be as realistic as possible; the level of detail and accuracy limited by technology only by time and cost. See http://www.mellanium.com/ for more information and details of Virtual Real Worlds.
About The Author:
Ken spent most of his previous life defining systems engineering processes within the aerospace industry. He now spend most of his time researching and establishing 3D techniques to aid learning and communication. Having seen the problems first hand of introducing new concepts and ideas via the standard 2D techniques (classroom, paper, presentations, etc.)a better way must be possible. See http://www.mellanium.com for more information.