Disney Research has developed a method to automatically overlay a digital costume onto a person’s body using a monocular RGB image.
The “inpainting” solution allows a costume to be overlayed in augmented reality without parts of the person’s clothing or skin being visible. The method is compatible with mobile devices.
It means that guests at Disney parks could soon be pictured in full costume without ever changing outfit.
The report offers possible uses: “Imagine taking a selfie and magically wearing your favorite character or hero’s suit. While we did see digital cloth added onto people in the past, it was often with a depth camera such as a [Microsoft] Kinect, which is not always reliable in outdoor conditions, and is not as widespread as monocular cameras on mobile devices.”
Disney Research has been behind numerous innovations this year. In May, they designed a conductive paint that can be applied to any wall to make the surface interactive.
The team also developed a jacket that can provide physical sensations to accompany what you see in virtual reality or augmented reality experiences.
Like patents, the topics of Disney Research can offer insight into the company’s future plans – however some of the developments never see the light of day.
Image and video courtesy Disney Research