Development of a Three-Dimensional Multimode Visual Immersive System With Applications in Telepresence

Three dimensional (3-D) visual immersive system provides a better experience of virtual or remote environments compared with 2-D vision and is thus becoming one of the most active research fields of virtual reality. This paper describes how a 3-D multimode visual immersive system (3DMVIS) is developed, including system architecture, triplet lens module, head orientation tracking circuit, display module, and sensor signal processing. It supports two operation modes for different applications, corresponding to different combinations of lens. As a portable head-mounted display (HMD) device, it can be used in extensive virtual reality and telepresence applications. In addition, this HMD provides visual accommodation with the aid of manual focus and compatibility with various types of 3-D videos. Hence, users with various levels of myopia can experience this facility without wearing glasses. Meanwhile, a typical application in telepresence is investigated along with a compact panoramic camera system. The 3DMVIS is tested and evaluated with various virtual reality scenes, standard-format 3-D movies, and real-world 360° panoramic videos. In addition, comparisons with other commercial counterparts are presented. Technical specification indicates that the 3DMVIS with its telepresence system satisfies the requirements of practical applications.