SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUGMENTING LIGHTFIELD IMAGES

1 . A method for augmenting a lightfield image comprising:

receiving a plurality of images of a subject, wherein each image of the plurality of image is associated with a different perspective of the subject;

aligning each image of the plurality of image to a shared feature;

for an image of the plurality of images:

overlaying augmentation content on the image;

obscuring portions of the augmentation content based on the perspective of the image and the subject, wherein the portions are obscured without determining depth information associated with the subject; and

rendering the obscured augmentation content with a plurality of perspectives based on the perspectives associated with the images of the plurality of images; and

displaying the aligned images and the obscured augmentation content at a holographic display.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the augmentation content comprises a digital background.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein obscuring portions of the augmentation content in an image of the plurality of images comprises:

aligning an obscuring object to a portion of the image;

apply a masking shader to the obscuring object; and

masking the augmentation content using the masking shader.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the obscuring object comprises a standard model of a virtual head, wherein the obscuring object is aligned to a head region of the subject within the image.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein applying the masking shader to the obscuring object comprises applying a depth buffer to the obscuring object without rendering the obscuring object.

6 . The method of claim 3 , wherein augmentation content is applied to the image before the obscuring object.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein aligning each image of the plurality of images comprises:

determining a location of the shared feature in each image; and

setting the location of the shared feature to a near zero disparity.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein aligning each image of the plurality of images comprises, for each image:

determining a bounding box surrounding the shared feature in the respective image; and

cropping the respective image based on the bounding box.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the shared feature is determined using machine learning techniques.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the augmented lightfield image is displayed contemporaneously with receiving the plurality of images.

11 . A system for generating an augmented lightfield image of a subject comprising:

an image acquisition system comprising a plurality of cameras with overlapping fields of view, wherein the plurality of cameras are operable to acquire a plurality of images of a scene; and

a processor configured to:

align each image of the plurality of images to a shared feature; and

for an image of the plurality of images:

overlay augmentation content on the image;

obscure portions of the augmentation content behind the shared feature, wherein the portions are obscured without determining depth information associated with the shared feature; and

render the obscured augmentation content;

wherein the augmented lightfield image comprises the plurality of images and the rendered augmentation content.

12 . The system of claim 11 , further comprising a display configured to display the augmented lightfield image, wherein the augmented lightfield image is perceivable as three-dimensional without the use of a peripheral device.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the display comprises:

a light source;

a lenticular lens optically coupled to the light source that, with the light source, generates a light output having viewing angle dependency; and

an optical volume optically coupled to the lenticular lens.

14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to obscure the portions of the augmentation content in an image of the plurality of images by:

aligning an obscuring object to the image;

apply a masking shader to the obscuring object; and

masking the augmentation content using the masking shader.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the obscuring object comprises a universal model of a virtual head, wherein the obscuring object is aligned to a head region of a subject within the image.

16 . The system of claim 14 , wherein applying the masking shader to the obscuring object comprises applying a depth buffer to the obscuring object, wherein the augmentation content is rendered without rendering the obscuring object.

17 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the processor overlays the augmentation content on the image before the obscuring object.

18 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the processor aligns each image of the plurality of images by:

determining a location of the shared feature in each image; and

setting the location of the shared feature to a near zero disparity.

19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the processor aligns each image of the plurality of images by, for each image:

determining a bounding box surrounding the shared feature in the respective image; and

cropping the respective image based on the bounding box.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the processor determines the shared feature using machine learning.