Technology Review: Second Skin Captures Motion

Description

Second Skin Captures Motion

A new system could make special effects more affordable.

Researchers at MIT have developed a new system that may provide a cheaper and more efficient way to track motion. The system, called Second Skin , could be a cheaper alternative for creating special effects for movies. The researchers say that they hope it will also be used to help people monitor their own motions so that they can practice physical therapy or perfect their tai chi moves.

Traditional tracking systems involve high-speed cameras placed around a specially lit set. The subject being tracked wears special markers that reflect light emitted by the cameras. The cameras capture and record the reflected light several times a second, to track the subject's motion. When the system is used to make movies, software programs and a team of animators convert the data into an animated character. These motion-tracking systems can cost up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Alternative systems that use magnets, accelerometers, or exoskeletons are, respectively, in need of even more extensive set up and calibration, error prone, or bulky and inflexible.

In contrast to traditional optical tracking systems, Second Skin doesn't rely on cameras at all. Instead, the system uses inexpensive projectors that can be mounted in ceilings or outdoors. Therefore, the system can be used indoors and out without special lighting, and it costs only a few thousand dollars, says Ramesh Raskar , an associate professor at MIT's Media Lab and the main researcher of Second Skin along with graduate student Dennis Miaw.

"I think it's a breakthrough technology," says Chris Bregler , an associate professor of computer science at New York University, who works on computer vision systems for motion tracking and was not involved in the Second Skin research. "It lets you do ...

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http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/22555/

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/22555/