BENOGO: Being There - Without Going

BENOGO was a 6 partner EU-FET project (IST-2001-39184), which started in 2002 and ended in 2005. The project was coordinated by the Laboratory of Computer Vision and Media Technology. BENOGO developed and investigated novel computer graphics rendering techniques (the so-called Image Based Rendering approach) with the purpose of optimizing users’ sense of being present at a location without actually being there. The BENOGO system visualizes existing, physical locations in stereo in a Head Mounted Display, or in any of VRMediaLab’s 3D arenas. The project’s rendering technique is based on forming new images in real-time, and in response to user movements, using only data from previously acquired real images of an existing place. With this technology the project can circumvent the 3D modelling problems traditionally associated with standard Virtual Reality, and at the same time achieve a very high level of visual realism (photo-realism). The project consortium included experts in the field of psycho-physics, human perception, and presence research, and these research domains continuously evaluated the project’s rendering technology to optimize the performance, and to develop a theoretical understanding of how the sense of presence is best provided. In addition to visualizing a world to the user, the project also investigated the use of 3D sound, and the visualization is also augmented with virtual objects. Funded by EU FP5, IST/FET-2001-39184, 2002-2005. (Erik Granum, Claus B. Madsen, Rune Laursen, Rasmus Stenholt, Claus Dan Pedersen, Jonas Weikop, Lisbeth W. Lorentzen)