3D Telepresence

Using 3D solutions we can project real size image of an object over network,

which means you can be in India and give on stage presentation in Japan and

audience there would not even realize that you are not actually on stage. In

this article we try to decipher the basic technology behind one of the 3D

telepresence solutions successfully demonstrated by Cisco plus we also touch on

potential benefits of using such a telepresence solution.

To know more technology behind 3D telepresence used by Cisco, which has

actually been developed by a company called Musion, we should know how

'holograms' work. We all see holograms in our daily life, like the on your

credit card that shows two different images when tilted. The principle behind

this and those behind modern day 3D holographic imaging which has resulted in

Cisco's on stage 3D telepresence is the same. In holographic technique, light

reflected by the object is recorded and then this recorded light is

reconstructed giving an illusion of object itself. To make a hologram of an

object, light scattered by it is recorded using various recording medium, along

with this scattered light, a reference beam is also allowed to fall on recording

medium to create interference between these two light sources (scattered and

reference). All this results in a hologram of object on recording medium. Now to

reconstruct the actual object just illuminate it with original reference beam

which results in diffraction of light which is identical to light scattered by

the object. Therefore we are able to see an object even if it is not present.

Benefits of 3D telepresence



Though all the high definition telepresence solutions can provide high

quality video and audio capabilities, they cannot fool brain in believing that

person on the other side is not on a flat screen. Often there is mismatch in eye

contact and gestures due to faulty positioning of cameras. To overcome all these

issues the next wave of telepresence solutions need to give participants real

life like impression and that is the idea behind 3D telepresence. Think about

how much money can be saved if people like presidents of states can give

important speeches like the one given during election campaigns. Besides money

involved in travel, the major cost involved is due to the provided security

cover. All these costs can be saved and on top of it people get real life-like

3D image of their favorite candidate. This is just one of the applications and

there are plenty of other business or health care related benefits of this

technique. Imagine how easy it would be to diagnose a patient if a doctor can

remotely analyze actual condition of patent.

The 3D telepresence image created by the Institute of Creative Technologies in California. Image feeds from two cameras are are combined and presented to the viewer as a 3D image.