VOID 360 Camera Headset Concept
The VOID 360 headset imagines a future where camera operators or humanoid drones might wear head-mounted cameras to capture stereoscopic 360 lightfield video.
Wearing the camera on the head allows for the capture of mobile 360 degree content while making sure the operator is not seen in the captures (preferably wearing all black to minimize reflections)
The headset has a variable transparency mixed reality display, which lets the operator adjust their view from AR overlays on their real world, or full VR to review captured content.
The size of the Imaging Loop which houses the radial sensor array is informed by typical interpupillary distances and head rotation, which makes viewing the captured 360 imagery feel completely natural and comfortable.
The Loop also illuminates with individual RGB lights, allowing for a variety of lighting options, from a standard white fill to AI driven compensation effects that adjust for ambient lighting.
SpaceTime Camera
The SpaceTime Camera, designed and built by HoloLens designer Kim Pimmel, explores the future of lightfield photography and film-making, imagining a world where you can look into images that have a spatial presence.
The camera emulates a plenoptic lightfield sensor by moving a stereoscopic sensor along a track, capturing stereo pairs from multiple angles. Additionally, the track is curved, giving the camera a focal point. The experimental camera was made using a mix of 3D printing & woodworking, uses a customized Fujifilm W3 camera as the sensor, and runs on 2 Arduinos.
The scenes generated by the camera have a high level of presence, and when viewed in AR or VR, feel much like looking through a window. As you move in relationship to the image, you see the scene from the appropriate angle in stereo 3D, creating a sense of seeing into the space.
Film makers and photographers use framing as a tool to set context and tell stories. Lightfield imaging introduces an increased level of presence of the type that has generated excitement in the VR space, while enabling creatives to continue using the framing they are familiar with.
When lightfield technology reaches the consumer market in the form of volumetric screens that you can look into, framed lightfield content will be natively viewable on those screens, creating a new market for imaging sensors and cameras. Cameras and phones will have lightfield sensor bars and screens, ushering in a new era of volumetric photography and film