In professional AV domes are structures used for displaying of content for a myriad of purposes ranging from entertainment to serious simulation. However new research by scientists at Carnegie Mellon University, has been looking into using the domes for reconstruction of large-scale 3D motion and other live performance.
Many are familiar with 3D motion capture techniques used today which involve small white balls or markers being attached to the subject in motion. The new research however offers an alternative method. A total of 480 video cameras were mounted in a two-story geodesic dome and were used instead to record live video of moving objects, such as a man swinging a baseball bat which is depicted in the video above.
A technique for estimating the visibility of a target based on motion was used instead of makers. The 480 cameras were able to track 100,000 points at a time and the large amounts of data collected helped eliminate the problems of motion blur and occlusion. However it also meant that the research team had to work hard to eliminate redundancy and irrelevant frames.
Dubbed the Panoptic Studio dome, the research team intends on using the project to capture fine details or human interaction. The next step of the project is to adapt the principles to overcome imaging artifacts in less controlled environments such as concerts and sports.