Get Fido ready for his closeup: Researchers from the University of Bath developed technology that enables anyone to digitize their dog without a motion capture suit or expensive equipment.
A team at Bath’s CAMERA (Center for the Analysis of Motion Entertainment Research and Applications) digitized the movement of 14 dog breeds, using a computer model to accurately predict and replicate their poses. This model, according to the University, allows 3D digital information (like shape and movement) to be filmed with something as simple as a single RGBD camera, such as Intel’s RealSense lineup, which cost anywhere from $80 to $360.
“This technology allows us to study the movement of animals, which is useful for applications such as detecting lameness in a dog and measuring its recovery over time,” PhD researcher Sinéad Kearney explained. It’s also a boon for filmmakers. “For the entertainment industry, our research can help produce more authentic movement of virtual animals in films and video games,” Kearney continued. “Dog owners could also use it to make a 3D digital representation of their pet on their computer, which is a lot of fun.”
Most people recognize motion capture from films like Avatar, Cats, and Lord of the Rings, in which actors wearing dotted bodysuits are tracked by multiple cameras from various angles. Similar technology is also used to monitor athletes in training or patients in rehabilitation.
“While there is a great deal of research on automatic analysis of human motion without markers, the animal kingdom is often overlooked,” Darren Cosker, director of CAMERA, said in a statement. “Our research is a step towards building accurate 3D models of animal motion along with technologies that allow us to very easily measure their movement. This has many exciting applications across a range of areas—from veterinary science to video games.”
Kearney & Co. presented their findings—“RGBD-Dog: Predicting Canine Pose from RGBD Sensors”—at the 2020 Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition in Seattle over the weekend.
