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Media Release

March 03 2010

Mobile magic melts buildings at the touch of a button

Simulation of MeltVision. Actual results may differ.Using your mobile phone to see through walls, around corners or to melt away objects in your field of vision could be just a year away from commercialisation, according to a UniSA researcher.

Dr Christian Sandor, Director of the Magic Vision Lab at UniSA and his team have developed advanced Augmented Reality software, specifically for use in mobile technology, in partnership with mobile phone giant Nokia.

Augmented Reality, a novel user interface technology, involves computer graphics being overlayed on a video image of the real world. Dr Sandor’s team has developed three new types of mobile applications which use ‘Meltvision’, ‘Distortvision’ and the commonly known ‘X-ray Vision’.

Meltvision and X-ray Vision both work to reveal occluded points of interest. But according to a recent evaluation conducted by Dr Sandor’s team, Meltvision, where obstructive objects appear to melt away, is preferred by users over X-ray Vision. Distortvision alters the mobile video image so that objects out of the line of sight can be ‘bent’ into vision.

Dr Sandor says that we are becoming more familiar with this type of software, but few researchers have achieved this level of congruence with real life.

“More and more applications use high-quality 3D models, such as Google Earth, or photos, such as Google Streetview, of the environment. But with these approaches the real and virtual worlds are disconnected,” he says.

“Our new applications present the real and virtual worlds together. For example, with Meltvision, you can ‘melt’ away a building in front of you to see whether or not there is an ATM in the street behind it.

“This is much easier than a pop up arrow or text that would tell you which direction to travel in. You can see it for yourself, as if it were ahead of you.”

Previously, Dr Sandor and his team had built a 3D model of Adelaide to test all three applications, which can be seen in footage on the Magic Vision Lab website. A higher-quality 3D model of Adelaide was recently provided to the researchers by the Adelaide City Council, which they are currently integrating into their applications.

Dr Sandor says Nokia has expressed their support for the Magic Vision Lab in their ongoing projects.

“They are interested in us developing applications that could be used in their products in the future,” he says.

Meltvision and Distortvision have recently been filed as a patent, supported by ITEK - UniSA’s commercialisation unit.

And the innovations haven’t stopped there. Dr Sandor and his team have also been working on technology that allows people to see and feel virtual objects – Visuo-Haptic Augmented Reality - something he says could change the face of industrial design.

Dr Sandor says that the platform has the strongest application in prototype development because it allows for a user to manipulate a 3D object right before their very eyes using a head mounted display and haptic (touch based) devices.

“Visuo-Haptic Augmented Reality is based on the notion that human perception is multi-modal - that touch and vision are considered closely interactive senses,” he says.

“The current method for prototyping involves the development of a 3D design using a computer, which can be viewed on screen or printed out in what is a relatively static presentation.

“If developers want to touch a prototype, they must use a 3D printer to create a physical model. 3D printers are slow and expensive and changes to the shape are costly and labour intensive. With our technology, changes to the shape can be made and felt instantaneously.”

Dr Sandor’s team have been able to refine the technology with the assistance of Canon, who have partnered with the Magic Vision Lab in provision of equipment worth approximately $150,000, including their latest head worn display (VH-2007) and their newest software platform (MRPlatform IV).

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