Depending on whether you spend most of your time in the hospital, office, or in the great outdoors, when you hear ‘Canon’ your mind will likely think of medical scanning equipment, high-end printers, etc. or camera. At this year’s CESThe 85-year-old company is leaning in a new direction, with an interesting focus on software applications.
At the show, the imaging giant showed off a direction they’ve hinted at before, but this time relying less on their own hardware and more on the software the company has developed. , in part to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic that casts a shadow over people’s ability to connect. As for the chorus of ‘meaningful communication’ and ‘strong collaboration’, the Japanese imaging giant seems to be charting a new route for what’s next.
“Canon is creating groundbreaking solutions that help people connect in more ways than we ever imagined, redefining the way they work and live at a time when many of them are pursuing an integrated lifestyle. ,” said Kazuto Ogawa, President and CEO, Canon USA, Inc, during a press conference at CES 2023. “Canon’s most important role is to bring people closer together by bringing new experiences to the world. Endless opportunities for creators. With the theme ‘Unlimited is more’, we will show CES 2023 attendees what we are creating as an innovation-focused company and a world without limits. .
Among other things, Canon has shown off a somewhat gimmicky immersive experience tied to M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming horror film, Knock at the Cabin. The Movie Trailer Very Shyamalanesque will give you a taste of the vibe. At the core of everything, however, Canon is tapping into humanity’s fundamental desire; to feel connected. The company is eager to show how its solutions can “remove the limits faced by humanity to create more meaningful communication,” through four technologies it will showcase: displayed at this year’s trade show.
Call 3D: Kokomo
The flagship solution Canon is introducing is Kokomo, which the company describes as the first immersive VR software package of its kind. It is designed to combine VR with an immersive calling experience. The solution is quite subtle: Using VR headsets and smartphones, Kokomo software allows users to see and hear each other in real time with their appearance and expressions live, in a photo-realistic environment.
Kokomo solutions bring 3D video calling to a home near you. Image credits: Canon
In fact, the software package scans your face to find out what you look like, then turns you into a photo-like avatar. The person you are on the call can see you – No VR headset – show off your appearance and facial expressions. The effect is a 3D video calling experience. At the show, Canon is demonstrating this technology by allowing visitors to step into a 1×1 conversation with Knock at the Cabin characters.
Real-time 3D Video: Free Perspective
Targeting the sports market, Free Viewpoint is a solution that combines over 100 high-end cameras with a cloud-based solution that moves virtual cameras to any location. The software takes all video feeds, creating a 3D point-cloud-based model while allowing the virtual camera operator to create some shots that shouldn’t be possible: such as playback scenes Like Drones, plunge into action or kind of detailed footage of things, allowing viewers to view plays from the virtual perspective of one of the players.
In the United States, the system has been installed in two NBA arenas (including the Cavaliers and Nets’ home courts). Videos can be streamed or compiled into playback clips. Canon also points out that the system allows for ‘virtual advertising and other monetization opportunities’, so I suppose we have that to look forward to as well.
Returning to the Knock at the Cabin theme, at CES, Canon showed a virtual action scene shot with the Free Viewpoint video system, shot at Canon’s Volumetric Video Studio in Kawasaki, Japan. The effect of seeing an action scene ‘through the eyes’ of various characters is a wonderfully immersive experience.
Augmented reality technology: MREAL
Canon has also introduced a number of early-stage technologies that are still not ready for prime time viewing, including MREAL. It is a technology that helps to integrate simulation-like immersive worlds, merging the real and virtual worlds. Use cases may include pre-visualization for movies, training scenarios, and interactive augmented reality entertainment. The company told TechCrunch that the technology is in the market research phase.
The company is trying to figure out what needs further development and how to market the product. In other words: Who will use this, what will they use it for, and how much they are willing to pay for it.
Remote Presence: AMLOS
Activate My Vision (AMLOS) is what Canon calls its solution for mixed meeting environments, in which some people participate in person, while others are outside. If you’ve ever joined a meeting in that configuration, you’ll often find that attending remotely is an incredibly frustrating experience, as the face-to-face meeting participants are interacting with each other, and others are not. Remote attendee is somewhere on the screen. .
Canon hopes that AMLOS can help solve that problem; it’s a suite of software and cameras that improve engagement. It adds pan, tilt, and zoom capabilities to remote camera systems, giving remote users the ability to customize their viewing and engagement experience. So far, the solution isn’t intuitive enough to get around the non-room barrier, but it’s definitely better than a monster wall of heads on a screen.
