''FlyVIZ'': A Novel Display Device to Provide Humans with 360o Vision by Coupling Catadioptric Camera with HMD.

International audienceHave you ever dreamed of having eyes in the back of your head? In this paper we present a novel display device called FlyVIZ which enables humans to experience a real-time 360° vision of their surroundings for the first time. To do so, we combine a panoramic image acquisition system (positioned on top of the user's head) with a Head-Mounted Display (HMD). The omnidirectional images are transformed to fit the characteristics of HMD screens. As a result, the user can see his/her surroundings, in real-time, with 360° images mapped into the HMD field-of- view. We foresee potential applications in different fields where augmented human capacity (an extended field-of-view) could benefit, such as surveillance, security, or entertainment. FlyVIZ could also be used in novel perception and neuroscience studies

Enjoy 360° Vision with the FlyVIZ

International audienceOur novel FlyVIZ v2 prototype: (Left) Overview of the system and its main components; (Middle) 360° panoramic image displayed in the HMD when walking in a corridor; (Right) User grabbing an object located outside his natural field-of-view. Abstract FlyVIZ is a novel concept of wearable display device which enables to extend the human field-of-view up to 360°. With the Fly-VIZ users can enjoy an artificial omnidirectional vision and see " with eyes behind their back " ! The latest version of this approach called " FlyVIZ v2 " that we propose for the SIGGRAPH audience is a novel, compact, and lightweight prototype based on consumer-grade and on-the-shelf components. It assembles: a smartphone, a panoramic mirror, and an Oculus head-mounted-display in order to process a live video stream of the user's surroundings and provide a real-time omnidirectional image. We propose SIGGRAPH atten-dees to test this unique sensory experience, and this new kind of augmented vision