Big Blue Ceiling

Projection AR Tabletop Gaming

Augmented reality projected onto an ordinary table, with touch.

Eddie OffermannSoftware architecture, hardware prototyping team, software engineering, demonstration

Role
Software architecture, hardware prototyping team, software engineering, demonstration
Areas
XR, Hardware, Computer Vision, Telepresence, Research
A long white table with a hex-tile board game, cards and colored player tokens projected onto it, and a compact projector standing at the far end.

One of many hardware and software prototype engineering projects focused on using interactive projection for augmented reality.

We were involved at every stage of the hardware engineering, including specifying and selecting the hardware. We also worked across the software stack: calibration, support for laser light-plane touch detection, and every aspect of tabletop surface interaction and telepresence. A compact projector throws the game onto an ordinary table, a light-plane sensor reads fingertips on the surface, and the same touch layer drove checkers, a full board game and the shared surfaces of Touch Telepresence.

Part of Enhanced Presence.

  • Playing a projected board game by touching the table.
  • Checkers and a board game on the same projected surface.
  • Calibrating the laser light-plane touch detection.
  • Two projected game areas along a white table, a hex-tile board and cards, with a tablet showing the same board beside them.
    The board projected at full table length, with a tablet view alongside.
  • The projected hex-tile board and cards seen from the side of the table, with the projector unit at the back.
    From the player's side of the table.
  • Close view of the projected island of hex tiles: forest, field, mountain and desert, on a rippling blue water background.
    The projected board, close up.
  • A compact black projector unit with a sensor bar mounted on its top, standing on a white desk with cables.
    The projector with its touch sensor mounted on top.
  • The projector unit with the sensor bracket on a workbench, under bright lights.
    Prototyping the sensor mount on the bench.

  • Enhanced Presence

    A run of prototypes chasing the feeling of being in the room with someone far away.

    • Telepresence
    • XR
    • Hardware
    • Computer Vision
    • Research

  • Glasses-Free 3D Telepresence

    Volumetric calls on a 45-inch autostereoscopic display, no glasses required.

    • Telepresence
    • Hardware
    • Computer Vision
    • Research

  • HoloFlect

    A modular, upgradeable AR headset platform built for enterprise.

    • XR
    • Hardware
    • Computer Vision
    • AI
    • Optics
    • Research

  • North Star Stereoscopic Telepresence

    A preview of a fully 3D, ultra-HD video call with realtime perspective shift.

    • Telepresence
    • Hardware
    • Computer Vision
    • Research