This application allows you to take 3D videos and make holograms from your iPhone

(CNN Business) – When you view a 3D image of a real person in a video game or as a visual effect in a movie, that virtual human has generally been constructed through an intricate process known as “volumetric capture.”

Dozens of cameras surround the subject and record a 360-degree video, capturing its dimensions and volume. The different viewpoints are then merged to create a digitized 3D image. The process is usually carried out by technicians in a professional studio, which is time-consuming and expensive.

But this could be about to change, as the startup Irish Volograms has made the process available to anyone with an iPhone through their free Volu app. Launched on the App Store in September, and soon available on Android, it is the first content creation app capable of converting standard mobile videos into augmented reality or 3D videos, says Volograms.

While the phone’s camera only captures video from one angle, the app uses artificial intelligence to estimate a person’s 3D shape and texture in areas that the camera doesn’t see. It uses algorithms that have been trained on thousands of human models captured in professional Vologram studios. Then, it converts the movie clip into a hologram, or what the company calls a vologram.

Users can then play with the vologram creatively, shrinking or enlarging the figure and overlaying it on any background, adding filters that change the transparency or color of the image, and blending realities by adding a doppelganger (a double of yours) virtual to a standard video.

I have never tried to combine so many “realities” within one shot, and I have to admit: I was rather “confused” ?. Is this how the #metaverse is going to look like?#virtualreality in @Tvorium #mixedreality with @LIV #hologram in #augmentedreality with @volograms pic.twitter.com/RuLN9IikgN

– Gabriele Romagnoli (@GabRoXR) August 17, 2021

The goal, says Rafael Pagés, CEO and co-founder of the company, is to make the creation of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) content available to the everyday consumer.

“We wanted to create something that would allow anyone, not just professionals, to create content, play with it, share it,” he tells CNN Business.

Increased interest in virtual reality and 3D content

Volu is also responding to a growing demand for augmented reality and virtual reality content. A report from the market research firm eMarketer estimates that this year in the United States alone, nearly 60 million people will use VR and more than 90 million will use AR at least once a month, an increase of 36% and 28% respectively, compared to 2019.

The technology is used primarily for games, entertainment, and social media, but as consumers and businesses try immersive experiences, a wider variety of applications could emerge. The covid-19 pandemic has also sparked interest, with people experimenting with AR and VR technology to replicate in-person meetings in a virtual environment. Facebook launched a virtual reality app that allows users (represented by customizable avatars) to sit in a virtual conference room with coworkers, and this week announced plans to hire 10,000 people in Europe to build the “metaverse”.

Other companies have also focused on meeting demand. UK-based Dimension, which partnered with Microsoft, creates 3D videos in his high-tech studio, ranging from fashion shows until sports events. 4D Views, a French company, designs and sells its volumetric video capture technology to studios around the world.

But Volograms, which it says has raised € 2.3 million (US $ 2.7 million) in funding since it was founded in 2018, is one of the few that makes volumetric capture available to everyday consumers. The Volu app is free, although the company says it plans to add paid “professional features.” Currently, Volograms’ main source of income still comes from their professional study service.

Cathy Hackl, a tech futurist specializing in AR and VR, believes there is a strong demand for both “high-quality Hollywood content,” produced by professionals, and amateur content created on a smartphone. But the latter will be crucial in driving mass adoption of the technology, he says.

“Give people the tools now, so they can access [a la tecnología] on their phones and creating this content is very powerful, “he tells CNN Business.

By breaking down barriers to entry, Pagés hopes that Volu will empower a “new generation of creators” and transform communication as we know it.

“This is just the beginning,” he says. “Right now you live in an app and you can create fun and engaging content to share with your friends and family. But we think this technology could easily be integrated into headphones or glasses. [inteligentes]so that it can become the next generation camera. ”