This is a multi-camera bar. The 5 cameras on a bar can grab a light field image that will be sticthed into a continuous frame allowing for rotation around a central pivot point.
This is a research project at Intel Labs.
Capturing a Light Field refers to the ability to capture all, or as much, of the light being reflected in all directions in a scene. A way of doing this is by using a multi-camera setup. The setup we have developed was made to use off-the-shelf components and assembled so that it could be used in a similar way to a regular web cam.
Latest camera design
This is the current design. I had to make some forced design decisions when the original design was overheating. (more on this below).
Stiched Video example 1
Here is footage captured with a 3 Bar set-up. The 15 cameras capture video independently. Later the software creates interpoladed images inbetween the cameras. The final video uses 40 views and so it looks very smooth.
Stiched Video example 2
Because the camera is actually capturing real footage. We are able to recreate a lightfield of complex scenes like fluid dynamics above or a furry dog.
First prototype
This first design was made so that the electrical components inside the housing would be horizontal. This was so that the user would mainly see a thin camera.
Thermal Issues
This design was overheating. Affecting the optical quality over time and becoming too hot to handle. I had to devise tests and learn about thermal design in order to fix this.
New Design
I learned that the best way to passively reduce the thermal issues was to arient the PCB vertically. This changed the initial idea of having a very thin camera. In addition, I had to use the same PCB so now all of a sudden the components where not in the best positions for the new orientation. I came up with clever solutions to get the smallest and pleasing camera while navigating the constrains of the components being designed for a different configuration.
