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videophone eye-to-eye

 An idea to make the future's vidphones line up callers eyes
 
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We all know that 2 way videophones are coming to the masses. One feature I'd like to see is having the system line up both user's eyes. You've surely seen those webcam calls where someone is talking to you. They are looking at their screen, not the camera. I want to have both parties look eye to eye. It would be far more personal.

My solution would be to have a camera that points exactly at the eyes of the person from behind the screen, but that also "shoots" directly through the other callers eyes that are displayed on that same screen. You'd need to have a second scanner behind the "glass." Then AI would recognize the users pupils and send that info to the vidcam. Then the real camera could force it's output to have centered pupils. I suppose you'd also need a way to shoot directly through a screen. This can be done easily with an angled 2-way mirror just like some old video game kiosks do.

—h3lix, Feb 20 2003

Teleprompter http://www.internetcampus.com/tvp021.htm
and usage thereof... [lurch, Oct 04 2004]

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       Great Idea! Until this feature is available, you'll just have to:   

       (1) Look at the lens and only casually scan the screen with your periferal vision   

       or   

       (2) Hold the phone further away.   

       or   

       (3) Look like an idiot and put the phone to your ear. "Er, Bob, you need to do something about that ear-wax buildup, buddy"   

       I'm against videophones, myself. In the office, you can't be working on something else while you talk. Out and about you can't lie about where you really are. "Uh I'm in a meeting" - "SINCE WHEN DO YOU HAVE MEETINGS WITHOUT YOUR SHIRT ON!"
—FloridaManatee, Feb 20 2003
   

       On our design the camera is perforce set high and to the left as the user looks at the device; but when it's held at optimum viewing distance, about 250 - 350 mm, then it's not obvious that the other party isn't looking almost directly at the camera.   

       The problem with all these "through screen" technologies is that they make the handset substantially thicker. We haven't found a way round it yet. Lots of people are working on this .....
—8th of 7, Feb 20 2003
   

       [Dimandja] - the camera looks *through* the teleprompter. See link.
—lurch, Feb 20 2003
   

       I think helix is trying to make sure we are exactly looking into the other person's eyes. That way the camera won't be somewhere like up above the person's head - in this case it may look like you're staring at their breasts from their side. Really he has a point - it amazes me how precisely we can determine where someone is looking - even from far away.
—Worldgineer, Feb 20 2003
   

       As [8th of 7] said, it gets pretty thick. With a PC monitor, and a teleprompter mirror set in front, you might be looking at something over a meter long.   

       However, if the camera is mounted to the bottom of a flat panel screen, looking parallel to the display panel at a small angled half silvered mirror strip running across the panel - only needs to be as wide as the camera's FOV at that distance - you could manually adjust the strip so your caller's eyes appeared to be behind the half-silvered mirror. (Makes them look like they're wearing shades.) Now it's only a few inches thick.   

       ([8th] - I can think of a way to adapt this to a handheld...)
—lurch, Feb 20 2003
   

       //it may look like you're staring at their breasts from their side//   

       !!! I had this conference call last week and the longer the call went on, the more this woman smiled and smiled at me. Aaaarrgh. I thought it was my new haircut !!!!
—FloridaManatee, Feb 21 2003
   


 

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