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MagicManUK
New Participant
November 7, 2014

Through viewing

Firstly, new here, hi!
Secondly, apologies if this has been mentioned before - ignore.

Are there any plans for through viewing - i.e. video pass-through of the world outside of the Rift. Just thinking that a couple of cheap phone type camera modules on the front of the main unit, lining up with the approximate eye positions beneath.

Hot key in software and/or hardware toggle button on the unit to switch inputs between HDMI and the cameras (giving stereo view).

Perhaps even a blend/overlay of the two to support augmented reality. Cameras could even possibly help with motion tracking.

Certainly would help to quickly see the stuff around you in the real world before switching back to the virtual one...

    3 replies

    rjoyce
    Participant
    November 7, 2014
    I think they do have this on the Samsung Gear VR. If you follow Carmack's twitter it's no secret they're looking into inside out tracking with cameras mounted on front -- it's unknown if that is something they will utilize in the Rift or if that will just be for the Mobile SDK where the devices already have a camera on the front.

    If you search these forums and google you'll find plenty of examples of people who have mounted their own cameras on the front to provide a pass thru. It's tricky to make it work well, I haven't tried any myself, but matching FOV/projection of the camera and the eye is not trivial because of the impossible physics involved (i.e. the HMD/head is in the way of the ideal place to put the cameras).
    FrogJacuzzi
    Participant
    November 15, 2014
    "rjoyce" wrote:
    matching FOV/projection of the camera and the eye is not trivial because of the impossible physics involved (i.e. the HMD/head is in the way of the ideal place to put the cameras).


    Impossible you say? Mirrors. Use mirrors.

    If you need to do impossibly tardis-like things with space, but you only need it to work for light, always use mirrors.

    2 outward looking 45 degree mirrors that are big enough and close enough to inward-looking cameras could do it. The closer the mirrors can be to the cameras, the smaller the mirrors can be and still cover the cameras' FOVs, but the distance has to be at least the same as the distance to your eyes from the front of the headset.

    It's still tricky to get right, though. You're not wrong -- except of course for where you carelessly bandied around the word 'impossible'. Let this be a lesson to you; everyone think on what happened here today; etc.

    But yes, surely a reality headset is the starting point for an augmented reality headset, and the one that makes AR not-so-far-off as people have often claimed. I would do everything in a reality headset if I had one. I would drive a car and go to work in a reality headset. I'm going to start making something Google-Cardboard-inspired with holders for a ubiquitous smartphone this instant. My first demonstration prototype will just be a pair of goggles, though :P
    lmaceleighton
    Up and Coming
    November 15, 2014
    This is one reason I like the Leap Motion, right after I tried the "Plasma Ball" demo, as it uses a pass-through move, letting you see the world around you really well, although monochrome, not a solution like you are looking for perhaps but cool.
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