Rotatable Treadmill for Virtual Camera Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current camera tracking systems for green screen and LED backgrounds severely limit the movement of subjects within virtual environments, restricting them to a small area and preventing realistic movement and orbital perspectives.
Innovation Solution
A motorized treadmill system mounted on an infinitely rotating turntable, allowing for controlled movement in any direction within a virtual environment, synchronized with camera movements to create the illusion of unrestricted movement while maintaining the subject's physical location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a camera tracking system is used with green screen or LED backgrounds, then the environment can be virtually rendered in real-time, but the movement of the person being filmed is severely limited to a very small area in the center of the set
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds rotational dimension to the traditional linear treadmill by mounting it on a turntable. This allows the treadmill to rotate around the camera axis, enabling the performer to traverse the entire 360-degree virtual environment while remaining on a compact physical platform. The combination of linear belt movement and rotational table movement creates omnidirectional movement capability in a limited physical space.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the treadmill belt speed and direction, as well as the turntable rotation speed and angle, in real-time based on the desired virtual movement path. This dynamic control allows the performer to appear to travel anywhere in the virtual environment while the physical apparatus remains in a fixed location, resolving the contradiction between movement freedom and physical space.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the camera is kept static to maintain realistic video environment positioning, then the person appears stable in the scene, but the camera cannot orbit around them or view from different perspectives
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving the camera to change perspectives, the patent moves the performer (via treadmill and turntable) in the opposite direction. When virtual camera orbit is desired, the turntable rotates the performer around the camera axis; when forward movement is needed, the treadmill belt moves the performer forward. This inversion maintains camera stability while achieving all desired perspectives through performer movement.
3Adaptability or versatility
If extensive physical space is provided to allow realistic movement, then the person can move freely in the virtual environment, but the cost and complexity of the physical set increases
Solution Approach 1:
The treadmill-turntable system serves multiple functions: it provides linear forward/backward movement via the belt, rotational movement around the camera via the turntable, and can be controlled to simulate various terrains and movement patterns. This multi-functional apparatus replaces what would otherwise require extensive physical sets and multiple camera positions, reducing overall system complexity while expanding movement capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A motorized, rotatable treadmill and a system for creating the illusion of user movement while the user is stationary with respect to an environment as the user walks or otherwise moves on an endless track of the treadmill. The user can then travel an unlimited distance in unlimited directions while remaining stationary in physical location. The speed of the treadmill is precisely controlled and/or precisely matched with movement of a camera and a real-world speed of movement of the user and the distance the user travels on the belt to create the illusion of movement of the person being filmed. When the treadmill is provided within an LED virtual film set or green screen set, background imagery is added to further supplement the movement in a selected environment.