06-04-2011, 11:21 AM
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CHAPTER - 1
INTRODUCTION
Invisibility has been on humanity's wish list at least since Amon-Ra, a deity who could disappear and reappear at will, joined the Egyptian pantheon in 2008 BC. With recent advances in optics and computing and with the advent of flexible electronics such as a flexible liquid crystal display, that would allow the background image to be displayed on the material itself, however, this elusive goal is no longer purely imaginary.
In 2003, three professors at University of Tokyo — Susumu Tachi, Masahiko Inami and Naoki Kawakami — created a prototypical camouflage system in which a video camera takes a shot of the background and displays it on the cloth using an external projector. They can even reflect images when the material is wrinkled. The same year Time magazine named it the coolest invention of 2003. It is an interesting application of optical camouflage and is called the Invisibility Cloak. Through the clever application of
some dirt-cheap technology, the Japanese inventor has brought personal invisibility a step closer to reality.
Their prototype uses an external camera placed behind the cloaked object to record a scene, which it then transmits to a computer for image processing. The key development of the cloak, however, was the development of a new material called retroreflectum. Professor Tachi says that this material allows you to see a three-dimensional image. The computer feeds the image into an external projector which projects the image onto a person wearing a special retro reflective coat. This can lead to different results depending on the quality of the camera, the projector, and the coat, but by the late nineties, convincing illusions were created. That was only one invention created in this field and researches are still being carried out in order to implement it using nanotechnology.
1.1 OPTICAL CAMOUFLAGE – AN OVERVIEW
Optical camouflage is a kind of active camouflage which completely envelopes
the wearer. It displays an image of the scene on the side opposite the viewer on it, so that the viewer can "see through" the wearer, rendering the wearer invisible. The idea is relatively straight forward: to create the illusion of invisibility by covering an object with
something that projects the scene directly behind that object. If you project background image onto the masked object, you can observe the masked object just as if it were virtually transparent. Optical camouflage can be applied for a real scene. In the case of a real scene, a photograph of the scene is taken from the operator’s viewpoint, and this photograph is projected to exactly the same place as the original. Actually, applying HMP-based optical camouflage to a real scene requires image-based rendering techniques. As for camouflage, it means to blend with the surroundings. Camouflage is the
method which allows an otherwise visible organism or object to remain indiscernible from the surrounding environment. Examples include a tiger's stripes and the battledress of a modern soldier. Camouflage is a form of deception. The word camouflage comes from the French word 'camoufler' meaning 'to disguise'. The camouflage technique of disguise is not as common as coloration, but can be found throughout nature as well. Animals may disguise themselves as something uninteresting in the hopes that their
predators will ignore them or as something dangerous so that predators will avoid them. And so had humans the desire to disguise themselves just as some animals could do. 19th century armies tended to use bright colors and bold, impressive designs. These were
intended to daunt the enemy, attract recruits, foster unit cohesion, or allow easier identification of units in the fog of war. The transfer of camouflage patterns from battle to exclusively civilian uses is a recent phenomenon. The concept of camouflage - to conceal and distort shapes - is also a popular artistic tool.
CHAPTER -2
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
Although optical is a term that technically refers to all forms of light, most proposed forms of optical camouflage would only provide invisibility in the visible portion of the spectrum. Optics (appearance or look in ancient Greek) is a branch of physics that describes the behavior and properties of light and the interaction of light with matter. Optics explains optical phenomena. The pure science aspects of the field are often called optical science or optical physics. This technology is currently only in a very primitive stage of development. Creating complete optical camouflage across the visible light spectrum would require a coating or suit covered in tiny cameras and projectors, programmed to gather visual data from a multitude of different angles and project the gathered images outwards in an equally large number of different directions to give the illusion of invisibility from all angles. For a surface subject to bending like a flexible suit, a massive amount of computing power and embedded sensors would be necessary to continuously project the
correct images in all directions. More sophisticated machinery would be necessary to create perfect illusions in
other electromagnetic bands, such as the infrared band. Sophisticated target-tracking software could ensure that the majority of computing power is focused on projecting false images in those directions where observers are most likely to be present, creating the most realistic illusion possible. This would likely require Phase Array Optics, which would project light of a specific amplitude and phase and therefore provide even greater levels of invisibility. We may end up finding optical camouflage to be most useful in the environment of space, where any given background is generally less complex than earthly backdrops and therefore easier to record, process, and project.
CHAPTER – 3
ALTERED REALITY
Optical camouflage doesn't work by way of magic. It works by taking advantage of something called augmented-reality technology -- a type of technology that was first pioneered in the 1960s by Ivan Sutherland and his students at Harvard University and the University of Utah. Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real world and computer generated data.
The above is an example of how it looks like when viewed through the display of Augmented reality system At present, most AR research is concerned with the use of live video imagery which is digitally processed and "augmented" by the addition of computer generated graphics. Advanced research includes the use of motion tracking data, fiducial marker recognition using machine vision, and the construction of controlled environments containing any number of sensors and actuators.
The real world and a totally virtual environment are at the two ends of this continuum with the middle region called Mixed Reality. Augmented reality lies near the real world end of the line with the predominate perception being the real world augmented by computer generated data. Augmented virtuality is a term created by Milgram (Milgram and Kishino 1994; Milgram, Takemura et al. 1994) to identify systems which are mostly synthetic with some real world imagery added such as texture mapping video onto virtual objects. This is a distinction that will fade as the technology improves and the virtual elements in the scene become less distinguishable from the real ones.
Most augmented-reality systems require that users look through a special viewing apparatus to see a real-world scene enhanced with synthesized graphics. They also require a powerful computer. In augmented reality, the scene is viewed by an imaging device, which in this case is depicted as a video camera. The camera performs a perspective projection of the 3D world onto a 2D image plane. The intrinsic(focal length and lens distortion)and extrinsic(position and pose)parameters of the device determine exactly what is projected onto its image plane. The generation of the virtual image is done with a standard computer graphics system. The virtual objects are modeled in an object reference frame. The graphics system requires information about the imaging of the real scene so that it can correctly render these objects. This data will control the
Synthetic camera that is used to generate the image of the virtual objects. This image
Is then merged with the image of the real scene to form the augmented reality image.
CHAPTER – 4
BLOCK DIAGRAM
4.1 DESCRIPTION
Optical camouflage works by taking advantage of something called augmented reality
Technology -- a type of technology that was first pioneered in the 1960s by Ivan Sutherland and his students at Harvard University and the University of Utah. Augmented-reality systems add computer-generated information to a user's sensory
perceptions. Imagine, for example, that you're walking down a city street. As you gaze at
sites along the way, additional information appears to enhance and enrich your normal
view. Perhaps it's the day's specials at a restaurant or the show times at a theater or the
bus schedule at the station. What's critical to understand here is that augmented reality is
not the same as virtual reality. While virtual reality aims to replace the world, augmented
reality merely tries to supplement it with additional, helpful content.
Most augmented-reality systems require that users look through a special viewing
apparatus to see a real-world scene enhanced with synthesized graphics. They also require a powerful computer.
Optical camouflage requires these things, as well, but it also requires several other components. Here's everything needed to make a person appear invisible:
• A garment made from highly reflective material
• A video camera
• A computer
• A projector
• A special, half-silvered mirror called a combiner
4.2 WORKING
For using optical camouflage, the following steps are to be followed –
1) The person who wants to be invisible (let's call her Person A) dons a garment that resembles a hooded raincoat. The garment is made of a special material that we'll examine more closely in a moment.
2) An observer (Person B) stands before Person A at a specific location. At that
Location, instead of seeing Person A wearing a hooded raincoat, Person B sees right through the cloak, making Person A appear to be invisible.
CHAPTER - 1
INTRODUCTION
Invisibility has been on humanity's wish list at least since Amon-Ra, a deity who could disappear and reappear at will, joined the Egyptian pantheon in 2008 BC. With recent advances in optics and computing and with the advent of flexible electronics such as a flexible liquid crystal display, that would allow the background image to be displayed on the material itself, however, this elusive goal is no longer purely imaginary.
In 2003, three professors at University of Tokyo — Susumu Tachi, Masahiko Inami and Naoki Kawakami — created a prototypical camouflage system in which a video camera takes a shot of the background and displays it on the cloth using an external projector. They can even reflect images when the material is wrinkled. The same year Time magazine named it the coolest invention of 2003. It is an interesting application of optical camouflage and is called the Invisibility Cloak. Through the clever application of
some dirt-cheap technology, the Japanese inventor has brought personal invisibility a step closer to reality.
Their prototype uses an external camera placed behind the cloaked object to record a scene, which it then transmits to a computer for image processing. The key development of the cloak, however, was the development of a new material called retroreflectum. Professor Tachi says that this material allows you to see a three-dimensional image. The computer feeds the image into an external projector which projects the image onto a person wearing a special retro reflective coat. This can lead to different results depending on the quality of the camera, the projector, and the coat, but by the late nineties, convincing illusions were created. That was only one invention created in this field and researches are still being carried out in order to implement it using nanotechnology.
1.1 OPTICAL CAMOUFLAGE – AN OVERVIEW
Optical camouflage is a kind of active camouflage which completely envelopes
the wearer. It displays an image of the scene on the side opposite the viewer on it, so that the viewer can "see through" the wearer, rendering the wearer invisible. The idea is relatively straight forward: to create the illusion of invisibility by covering an object with
something that projects the scene directly behind that object. If you project background image onto the masked object, you can observe the masked object just as if it were virtually transparent. Optical camouflage can be applied for a real scene. In the case of a real scene, a photograph of the scene is taken from the operator’s viewpoint, and this photograph is projected to exactly the same place as the original. Actually, applying HMP-based optical camouflage to a real scene requires image-based rendering techniques. As for camouflage, it means to blend with the surroundings. Camouflage is the
method which allows an otherwise visible organism or object to remain indiscernible from the surrounding environment. Examples include a tiger's stripes and the battledress of a modern soldier. Camouflage is a form of deception. The word camouflage comes from the French word 'camoufler' meaning 'to disguise'. The camouflage technique of disguise is not as common as coloration, but can be found throughout nature as well. Animals may disguise themselves as something uninteresting in the hopes that their
predators will ignore them or as something dangerous so that predators will avoid them. And so had humans the desire to disguise themselves just as some animals could do. 19th century armies tended to use bright colors and bold, impressive designs. These were
intended to daunt the enemy, attract recruits, foster unit cohesion, or allow easier identification of units in the fog of war. The transfer of camouflage patterns from battle to exclusively civilian uses is a recent phenomenon. The concept of camouflage - to conceal and distort shapes - is also a popular artistic tool.
CHAPTER -2
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
Although optical is a term that technically refers to all forms of light, most proposed forms of optical camouflage would only provide invisibility in the visible portion of the spectrum. Optics (appearance or look in ancient Greek) is a branch of physics that describes the behavior and properties of light and the interaction of light with matter. Optics explains optical phenomena. The pure science aspects of the field are often called optical science or optical physics. This technology is currently only in a very primitive stage of development. Creating complete optical camouflage across the visible light spectrum would require a coating or suit covered in tiny cameras and projectors, programmed to gather visual data from a multitude of different angles and project the gathered images outwards in an equally large number of different directions to give the illusion of invisibility from all angles. For a surface subject to bending like a flexible suit, a massive amount of computing power and embedded sensors would be necessary to continuously project the
correct images in all directions. More sophisticated machinery would be necessary to create perfect illusions in
other electromagnetic bands, such as the infrared band. Sophisticated target-tracking software could ensure that the majority of computing power is focused on projecting false images in those directions where observers are most likely to be present, creating the most realistic illusion possible. This would likely require Phase Array Optics, which would project light of a specific amplitude and phase and therefore provide even greater levels of invisibility. We may end up finding optical camouflage to be most useful in the environment of space, where any given background is generally less complex than earthly backdrops and therefore easier to record, process, and project.
CHAPTER – 3
ALTERED REALITY
Optical camouflage doesn't work by way of magic. It works by taking advantage of something called augmented-reality technology -- a type of technology that was first pioneered in the 1960s by Ivan Sutherland and his students at Harvard University and the University of Utah. Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real world and computer generated data.
The above is an example of how it looks like when viewed through the display of Augmented reality system At present, most AR research is concerned with the use of live video imagery which is digitally processed and "augmented" by the addition of computer generated graphics. Advanced research includes the use of motion tracking data, fiducial marker recognition using machine vision, and the construction of controlled environments containing any number of sensors and actuators.
The real world and a totally virtual environment are at the two ends of this continuum with the middle region called Mixed Reality. Augmented reality lies near the real world end of the line with the predominate perception being the real world augmented by computer generated data. Augmented virtuality is a term created by Milgram (Milgram and Kishino 1994; Milgram, Takemura et al. 1994) to identify systems which are mostly synthetic with some real world imagery added such as texture mapping video onto virtual objects. This is a distinction that will fade as the technology improves and the virtual elements in the scene become less distinguishable from the real ones.
Most augmented-reality systems require that users look through a special viewing apparatus to see a real-world scene enhanced with synthesized graphics. They also require a powerful computer. In augmented reality, the scene is viewed by an imaging device, which in this case is depicted as a video camera. The camera performs a perspective projection of the 3D world onto a 2D image plane. The intrinsic(focal length and lens distortion)and extrinsic(position and pose)parameters of the device determine exactly what is projected onto its image plane. The generation of the virtual image is done with a standard computer graphics system. The virtual objects are modeled in an object reference frame. The graphics system requires information about the imaging of the real scene so that it can correctly render these objects. This data will control the
Synthetic camera that is used to generate the image of the virtual objects. This image
Is then merged with the image of the real scene to form the augmented reality image.
CHAPTER – 4
BLOCK DIAGRAM
4.1 DESCRIPTION
Optical camouflage works by taking advantage of something called augmented reality
Technology -- a type of technology that was first pioneered in the 1960s by Ivan Sutherland and his students at Harvard University and the University of Utah. Augmented-reality systems add computer-generated information to a user's sensory
perceptions. Imagine, for example, that you're walking down a city street. As you gaze at
sites along the way, additional information appears to enhance and enrich your normal
view. Perhaps it's the day's specials at a restaurant or the show times at a theater or the
bus schedule at the station. What's critical to understand here is that augmented reality is
not the same as virtual reality. While virtual reality aims to replace the world, augmented
reality merely tries to supplement it with additional, helpful content.
Most augmented-reality systems require that users look through a special viewing
apparatus to see a real-world scene enhanced with synthesized graphics. They also require a powerful computer.
Optical camouflage requires these things, as well, but it also requires several other components. Here's everything needed to make a person appear invisible:
• A garment made from highly reflective material
• A video camera
• A computer
• A projector
• A special, half-silvered mirror called a combiner
4.2 WORKING
For using optical camouflage, the following steps are to be followed –
1) The person who wants to be invisible (let's call her Person A) dons a garment that resembles a hooded raincoat. The garment is made of a special material that we'll examine more closely in a moment.
2) An observer (Person B) stands before Person A at a specific location. At that
Location, instead of seeing Person A wearing a hooded raincoat, Person B sees right through the cloak, making Person A appear to be invisible.
