title: Multithreaded hybrid feature tracking for markerless augmented reality.
abstract: We describe a novel markerless camera tracking approach and user interaction methodology for augmented reality (AR) on unprepared tabletop environments. We propose a real-time system architecture that combines two types of feature tracking. Distinctive image features of the scene are detected and tracked frame-to-frame by computing optical flow. In order to achieve real-time performance, multiple operations are processed in a synchronized multi-threaded manner: capturing a video frame, tracking features using optical flow, detecting distinctive invariant features, and rendering an output frame. We also introduce user interaction methodology for establishing a global coordinate system and for placing virtual objects in the AR environment by tracking a user's outstretched hand and estimating a camera pose relative to it. We evaluate the speed and accuracy of our hybrid feature tracking approach, and demonstrate a proof-of-concept application for enabling AR in unprepared tabletop environments, using bare hands for interaction.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. taehee@cs.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Taehee
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Höllerer
mesh_terms: D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D003196:Computer Graphics; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006225:Hand / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D014584:User-Computer Interface