Virtual Reality-Based Telepresence through Improved Autonomy

Project leader: Professor Steven LaValle

Rapid advances in consumer electronics have led to unprecedented investment into an ecosystem of experiences centered on head-mounted displays (HMDs). These devices incorporate cutting-edge technologies to bring people experiences that are real, often via panoramic cameras, and virtual, via computer graphics. This proposal addresses a crucial obstacle to the success of this ecosystem: How to automatically compensate for the motions of wide-angle and panoramic cameras, both real and virtual, so that comfort is maximized, immersion or presence is preserved, and cybersickness is minimized. The research is expected to deliver published algorithms for moving real and virtual cameras that dramatically improve human experiences for HMD-based applications such as telepresence, virtual travel, and remote education. It is also expected to produce human perception-based engineering criteria, which advance scientific understanding and would benefit the larger industrial ecosystem.

Strategic research project of the University of Oulu

Focus institute: Infotech Oulu

Faculty: Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (ITEE)