On March 21, DoCoMo conducted a demonstration experiment of AR technology that naturally fuses real space and 3D images in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. This is to make the members of the female idol group "Namie Joshi Hatsukai" huge using AR technology and watch the performance performed in the city of Shinjuku.
The venue for the demonstration experiment was near the entrance of Shinjuku Southern Terrace near the south exit of Shinjuku Station, where you can see the Docomo Yoyogi Building, a skyscraper also known as the "Docomo Tower." You can experience the performance by holding the tablet prepared exclusively for this demonstration experiment over the Docomo Tower.
Near the entrance of Shinjuku Southern Terrace, which was the venue for the demonstration experiment.Docomo Tower rises in the center
In fact, when you hold the tablet over the Docomo Tower, three members of the huge Namie Women's Association (Runa Naito, Chiho Takai, Kana Harima) appear one after another, and the music is set in the Docomo Tower and the surrounding buildings. They will show off their combined performance. There are also productions that make use of being AR, such as grasping the context of the building and having members appear from the shadow of the building or hugging the Docomo Tower. Although there were some deviations depending on the position recognition situation, it is certain that I was able to experience a realistic performance through the screen of the tablet, although it could not be realized in reality.
Members of the Namie Joshi Hatsukai, which became huge when you hold the tablet over, will appear one after another and show off their performances.
Multiple technologies are used in this demonstration experiment, one is a technology that grasps the exact position and displays objects etc. by CG without deviation. Since the tablet camera first recognizes the scenery of the landmark and identifies the position, it is considered that a technology similar to VPS (Visual Positioning Service) that identifies the position based on the image is used. Be done.
By grasping the exact position, it is possible to firmly recognize the positional relationship of the building even in the AR space, not only to display the person without deviation, but also to realize the production such as a person jumping out from behind the building.
By the way, at the event "XR City SHINJUKU" held by DoCoMo at the same Shinjuku Southern Terrace in 2021, the position was grasped using Google's AR technology. However, according to Docomo's explanation, this time the base technology itself is the same, but the technology used is different, and Docomo has conducted a demonstration experiment with JTB and others in Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture from March 18, 2022. It is said that it has the same technology as the "Dotombori XR Park".
The other is a technology called "Volumemetric Video" that shoots an object from 360 degrees and creates 3D data.Since the movement of people and things can be directly converted into 3D data, it is easy to create realistic 3D data with movement. The feature is that it can be created in. In this demonstration experiment, the performances of the members of the Namie Women's Association are captured as 3D data and streamed.
However, it took about a week to convert the performance of about 4 minutes by the three people this time because it takes time to create the data of the volumetric video. Also, in order to play streaming, it was necessary to keep the bit rate at the time of distribution to about 30 Mbps on average, and it was difficult to reduce the weight of the data. Initially, there was talk of wanting to set the performance time to about 20 minutes, but it was decided that it would be difficult because of such difficulties, and it was decided that it would be within 4 minutes.
In this demonstration experiment, DoCoMo was aiming to proceed with technical verification regarding video distribution in XR using volumetric video. In the future, he wants to take on the challenge of viewing 3D images of people who are active in various genres as well as idols and artists in the city.
What are your thoughts on the enormous Namie Women's Union that appeared in Shinjuku?
In addition, three members of the Namie Women's Association who performed the performance also visited the demonstration experiment venue this time, and responded to the interview. The Namie Women's Association is an idol group that operates mainly in Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture, but it seems that it was appointed to this demonstration experiment for various reasons.
Three members of the Namie Women's Union that appeared in the demonstration experiment.From the left, Kana Harima, Chiho Takai, Runa Naito
When I asked the three people how they felt when they saw their enormous appearance, they said, "I was surprised that they were bigger than I expected" (Mr. Takai). Since they were shooting in the studio and didn't know what the actual shape would be, Mr. Takai replied, "It was bigger than I had imagined and it was a lot of fun."
The studio used for shooting was a round room with a green background and about 40 cameras installed, and it was said that he was shooting while performing in that room. It was the first time for them to experience this kind of shooting, and I was surprised that "I saw the AR app and I knew it came out! But I can shoot like this" (Mr. Naito). It seems there was.
However, there seems to be some difficulty, and the most difficult thing was that it was necessary to get a sense of distance from the building that was not on site. In fact, there were various difficulties such as "Because there is a (DOCOMO) tower here, I was careful not to get stuck in it, but when I put my fingers in the par, I couldn't see it, so I closed it and danced" (Mr. Harima). It seems that NG has been released not a little.
There was also a production that hugged the Docomo Tower, but it seems that there was a difficulty in performing in the absence of the real thing.
This time, it was appointed to the demonstration experiment conducted in Shinjuku, Tokyo, not in Namie Town, where they are based, but "I'm glad that the fans are enjoying it with a fresh feeling. I'm thinking "(Mr. Takai). It is their desire not only to get to know the Namie Women's Union from their songs and performances in the demonstration experiment, but also to get to know Namie Town and visit them. It seems.
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