USC tech aligns 2D photos in 3D space
The technology developed at the USC allows 2D images to be aligned in 3D space, for some neat-o slideshows.
Any walker with a GPS, camera, and copy of Google Earth will be familiar with geotagging – adding location information into the EXIF data of photographs. Geotagging allows images to be loaded into Google Earth in such a way that they are visible in the precise area where the original image was taken – which is pretty cool.
The Viewfinder project takes this idea and extends it to its logical conclusion – mapping a two dimensional photograph onto the three dimensional space provided in applications like Google Earth. The team behind the technology describes it as “an experience that is as visceral as Google Earth and as accessible as Flickr.”
The video of the technology in action is certainly pretty impressive, and whilst I wouldn't call it a 'killer app' it's a neat extension of the current ability to accurately pin your photographs down to a mapped location. It also makes for a neat take on a slideshow, and could be an excellent way to drum up a bit of interest in your holiday snaps.
Although the procedure for 'posing' photographs is largely manual at the moment, the team expects that cameras available in the future will have “the sensing and intelligence to fully automate this process,” and describes Viewfinder as “a getting-from-here-to-there strategy; it is an artistic intervention as well as a technological innovation.”
Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a while to start spatially situating your own photographs: although the university has clear plans to commercialise the technology, having applied for a patent, the team won't be releasing the software until an average ten year old is able to 'pose' a photograph in under a minute. How long until the technology reaches that level of maturity – or, indeed, immaturity – remains to be seen.
A neat trick, or can you see real uses for the technology? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
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Discuss in the forums ReplyYes - year old news really. I suppose that it is good that it is coming from more than one company though.
And afaik, Microsoft do the image placement by brute force, and this uses a bit of GPS trickery too so it is slightly different
IT won't be long then... They should refine it until the average 60 year old can do it.
-monkey
Quite frankly, this (from the demo) looks bad in a way, why do i want to see pic's of places with people in the way/in silly poses - and how will they regulate this?
However, from a technological viewpoint, its quite cool