High Depth-of-Field Panoramic Video Acquisition and Analysis of Dynamic Scenes

The central objective of the proposed Phase II is to develop an advanced prototype implementing the designs developed in Phase I. A typical such design can (i) have an infinite depth of field, (ii) provide a panoramic images of up to 360-degree wide visualfields, (iii) provide an estimate of the depth of each visible point in the scene, (iv) preserve the image resolution across the panoramic image, (v) image a dynamic scene, and (vi) acquire the entire image from a single viewpoint, and it can achieve thisperformance while (vii) offering a trade off between cost and performance measured in terms of the quality of focus (resolution of the depth of field), reliability of depth estimates and the width of the visual field. Phase I has allowed us to evaluate thefeasibility of many important attributes. The objective of Phase II is to implement many of these attributes for the first time and robustly test others. A commercialization ready prototype of Phase I design 1, the omnifocus nonfrontal imaging camera, willbe produced and the remaining designs tested. The proposed commercialization prototype is characterized by technical reliability, readyness for practical applications, operability by an ordinary person and production friendliness. The proposed imaging technology is versatile and currently nonexistent. Since imaging is central to many activities, the proposed technology is expected to have a major impact on everyday life. Commercial applications: Monitoring of buildings, compounds,homes and stores; Studio photography; Outdoor nature hotography; Endoscopi and nerusurgery; Television broadcasting; 3D modeling for computer aided manufacturing; Virtual reality using omnifocused 3D display; Advertising; Visual art; Monitoring ofHazardous environments; Visualization; Interactive video games.