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Question Interactive projections hardware

Discussion in 'AR' started by OmarOfMA, Feb 16, 2023.

  1. OmarOfMA

    OmarOfMA

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2022
    Posts:
    13
    Hello,

    I'm creating an interactive projection. And I'd like some pointers regarding the hardware and SDKs I might use with Unity.

    Requirements:
    • The projection will be flat on a flat surface, so I'm not worried about projection mapping currently.
    • The content might be projected on a wall or on the floor.
    • Players will control the game via body movement OR by touching the display surface (the floor or wall).
    What I know:
    I'm assuming that I need two pieces of hardware:
    • A short throw projector (to avoid shadows on the display surface)
    • A depth sensor
    Some projectors are interactive, so you can touch the display surface. But I assume that I only need a normal projector because I'm already using a depth sensor for body tracking. So I can also use it to detect surface touches.

    For the depth sensors, the options I found are:
    • Azure Kinect (the older Kinect seems to be discontinued)
    • Intel Realsense stereo camera

    The content I'm finding online is old. So I'm wondering if someone working on this currently (in the entertainment / installations space) can guide me towards hardware and software that integrates well with Unity.
     
    OmarOfMA, Feb 16, 2023
    #1

  2. SF_FrankvHoof

    SF_FrankvHoof

    Joined:
    Apr 1, 2022
    Posts:
    780
    For your depth-sensor, you could also look at using a smartphone, along with the XR systems (ARCore/ARKit).
    Unity - Manual: Getting started with AR development in Unity (unity3d.com)
    Particularly a (new) iOS-device (one with LiDAR) would work well for this.
    AR Tank Exam using LiDAR & Unity ARFoundation - YouTube
     
    SF_FrankvHoof, Feb 16, 2023
    #2
    OmarOfMA likes this.

  3. andyb-unity

    andyb-unity

    Unity Technologies

    Joined:
    Feb 10, 2022
    Posts:
    690
    Your mileage may vary. Using a depth sensor to try to capture surface touches will be a noisy signal with a likelihood of false positive and/or false negative depending on how you set up your system. If possible I would recommend a design that is more gesture-tracking based (playing to the strengths of a skeletal tracking system), rather than trying to use a skeletal tracking system to fulfill a surface-touch task. (Alternatively, consider using dedicated hardware to detect surface touch.)

    Azure Kinect or Intel Realsense are both potentially viable body tracking sensors. For an installation like this in 2023 I would also consider an AI pose detection solution using a standard webcam, but I can't recommend any particular solution.
     
    andyb-unity, Feb 16, 2023
    #3
    OmarOfMA likes this.