We recently visited Customer Engagement World, which took place in New York from November 5-6 2014 where we saw a demonstration of the latest 3D motion capture technology from Israeli company, Extreme Reality.
Extreme Reality uses 2D to 3D conversion software to extract a 3D map from two images, though it is not using this 3D map to create a stereoscopic image. Instead, the company uses the 3D information to place the acquired object in the three dimensions. This allows a person to be seen on the screen, with his or her position marked based on the screen. The system creates the same information as a Microsoft Kinect camera but will work with any front facing camera, including webcams on notebooks or tablets.
Extreme Reality has created an SDK for app developers to incorporate into their software. So far the technology is used in 20 games running on the major platforms including Android, iOS and Windows. The company’s business model is based on revenue sharing.
While the system is incorporated in many games, the company is looking at extending the application into retail spaces, such as for powering interactive sales platforms, or advertising games, for example.
The system definitely works as was demonstrated, but the quality and accuracy of the response also depends on the quality of the camera. Unfortunately, front facing webcams do not have a great reputation in that regard.
Arrow Electronics was at the event and showed a mock-up bus to demonstrate the integration of digital networking capabilities in today’s environment. While the topic of the conference was advertising, the same technologies driving the implementation in public transportation could drive a digital signage network. As a matter of fact, some implementations in the vehicle include location based advertising.
The vehicle has three distinct levels of wireless connections:
- The first level is a bus internal network that drives all displays and informational inputs and outputs of the bus. The content for this network is updated when the bus returns to the bus terminal.
- The second network is via a direct 3G/4G connection that informs the control center about the location of the bus, the condition of the equipment and allows for voice communication with the driver.
- The third level is a direct network for the bus occupants to connect to the internet. This network can be restricted in terms of the accessible websites.
The company was demonstrating the capabilities of existing hardware components when combined by an experienced integrator. There is no guarantee that this product will ever see the light of day, but it shows what is possible in mobile technology today. – Norbert Hildebrand
