Smart Camera Networks in Virtual Reality

This paper presents our research towards smart camera networks capable of carrying out advanced surveillance tasks with little or no human supervision. A unique centerpiece of our work is the combination of computer graphics, artificial life, and computer vision simulation technologies to develop such networks and experiment with them. Specifically, we demonstrate a smart camera network comprising static and active simulated video surveillance cameras that provides extensive coverage of a large virtual public space, a train station populated by autonomously self-animating virtual pedestrians. The realistically simulated network of smart cameras performs persistent visual surveillance of individual pedestrians with minimal intervention. Our innovative camera control strategy naturally addresses camera aggregation and handoff, is robust against camera and communication failures, and requires no camera calibration, detailed world model, or central controller.