Panoramic Imaging with Horizontal Stereo

Abstract

The ultimate immersive visual environment should provide three elements: (i) Stereo vision, where each eye gets a different image appropriate to its location in space; (ii) complete 360° view, allowing the viewer to look in any desired direction; (iii) allow free movement. Stereo Panoramas [137, 114, 213, 259] use a new scene to image projection that enables simultaneously both (i) stereo and (ii) a complete panoramic view. No depth information or correspondences are necessary. Viewers of stereo panoramas have the ability to freely view, in stereo, all directions. Since the scene to image projection necessary for stereo panoramic imaging cannot be done with a regular camera, stereo panoramic images were generated by mosaicing images taken with rotating cameras [137, 114, 213, 259]. As it is necessary to rotate a video camera a full circle in order to obtain a single stereo panoramic images, it was impossible to generate video-rate stereo panoramic movies. In this chapter, we present two possible camera systems, without any moving parts, that can capture stereo panoramic movies in video rate. One system uses special mirrors, and the other system uses special lenses. With such cameras it will be possible to make stereo panoramic movies of real events: sports, travel, etc. Short introductions are given in this section to panoramic imaging, stereo imaging, multiple viewpoint projections, and caustic curves.