A virtual window communication system with pointing function for remote communication

In recent years, video communication systems have found wide application along with cellphones and e-mails for remote communication. Using video communication, partner’s expression and personal space, which are beneficial in providing smooth communication between two remote locations, can be seen. However, it is difficult to perceive depth, since the projected images are only able to display two-dimensional information. Furthermore, during video communication, while user might move around, the view of partner remains unchanged. It is important to see an image including depth information for communication. It is expected that people will be able to communicate smoothly using images including depth information because feelings of shared place are increased by it. Therefore, in this paper, we develop a virtual window communication system by which an image of a remote location through a virtual window is projected based on the head position of the user. In this system, when the positional relationship between the head position of the user and the window changes, the projected image will also change accordingly. Thus, the user can feel as though he or she is looking directly at his or her conversational partner and the surrounding environment through the virtual window. Furthermore, remote pointing is realized using a pointing function in this communication system. This pointing function does not require calibration and can be placed at an arbitrary position using image processing. Then, sensory evaluations were performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed virtual window communication system.