Microsoft's Augmented Reality, Video Photosynth 97
Al writes "Microsoft demonstrated new augmented-reality software for cell-phones at the 2009 TechFest conference, which was held this week in Redmond. Instead of using GPS or WiFi triangulation, the prototype system relies entirely on scene-recognition to identify its position and add virtual objects to a video picture of the real world. TechFest is a showcase for lots of projects at Microsoft's various research labs. Other technologies on show included Photosynth for video, an image-tracking system for handwriting, a way of refining image searches using colors, and a 3-D version of Microsoft Surface."
Who says.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsoft speeds too much money on research that they fail to turn into products.
Re:Who says.. (Score:1, Insightful)
Microsoft speeds too much money on research that they fail to turn into products.
The visual processing algorithms they've developed are worth big bucks all by themselves.
Even if Microsoft doesn't execute this 'right', now that the idea is out there, someone else will
Re:Who says.. (Score:3, Insightful)
> "The visual processing algorithms they've developed..."
Not hardly. Please don't do that - don't start another MS myth.
Algotithms such as these have been in existence since at least 2002 [rit.edu] when 'Augmented Reality' (and display hardware) surfaced at domestic universities. The phrase was originated by Jaron Lanier, the founder of VPL Research - a respected outfit which was started in a Palo Alto cottage; 1984.
Re:Who says.. (Score:3, Insightful)
> "The visual processing algorithms they've developed..."
Not hardly. Please don't do that - don't start another MS myth.
Algotithms such as these have been in existence since...
Someone should have told Google back in 2000 that such a thing as a web search results algorithm already existed. Hell the phrase "search engine" had originated years before Larry and Sergey even thought of Google. Those fools thought they could make money off of improving a previously existing technology with their own patentable work--such silliness.
Also, fuck you.
Re:Copying Apple (Score:2, Insightful)
stitching is old tech (Score:3, Insightful)
I have always wondered whether Google Maps uses similar technology.
Image stitching has been around for a long time, and Photosynth is based on a lot of technology and research developed elsewhere.
Photosynth caught on because (1) there are lots of images to stitch now, (2) because they did a good engineering job stitching images that were taken under different conditions, and (3) they did a good engineering job on the UI.
kneejerkism at its strongest (Score:3, Insightful)
The point of your parent is that crediting Microsoft with pioneering these algorithms is sort of akin to saying Al Gore invented the Internet.
While Microsoft may have in fact taken augmented reality into the domain of cellphones and made the tech more accessible and mainstream, they should not be credited with inventing the technology.
None of this is to say that the grandparent (TubeSteak's post) suggests Microsoft invented this technology. I'm only pointing out that all of this defensive and aggressiveness over Microsoft is really unhealthy and, more importantly, unnecessary.