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Presence Examples From The Des Moines (Iowa) Register Economy Ames firm immerses itself in 3-D technology Micoy develops a camera that takes viewers from 'watching to experiencing' as videos will surround them. By FRANK VINLUAN Ames, Ia. - Everyone knows what it's like to watch an image on-screen. Joe Stevens can make people feel as if they're in the middle of it. Stevens' company, Micoy , brings new meaning to 3-D video. A Micoy camera can capture multiple angles in everything from sports to museum exhibits, yielding a field of vision up to 360 degrees. "It's just like being there," Stevens said. "The difference is (going) from watching to experiencing." The 3-D images come from a patented sphere-shaped camera comprising 84 lenses. Stevens calls the technology "true immersive video." It's the visual equivalent of surround sound, Stevens said. Micoy (pronounced "muh-COY") can project images onto a curved screen giving some sense of immersion. By projecting onto a dome, the video completely surrounds the viewer. Viewers also can see images through a head-mounted display; the 3-D video changes in all directions as wearers turn their heads. Des Moines company RST , or Reality Sports Technologies , will use Micoy for its sports training films. Football film is typically shot from the end zone or press box, Chief Executive Curt Krull said. RST will use Micoy cameras to film from the players' vantage point. Several college teams and one NFL team have expressed interest. "You'll be able to see what the quarterback sees in three-dimensional depth," Krull said. The immersive video idea came from Don Pierce, Micoy's executive producer. Pierce worked in the Hollywood film industry for 20 years before returning to his native Ames to work for Engineering Animation. Pierce stayed in Ames after Engineering Animation was bought by another company. He met Stevens through a chance encounter at the 2000 Iowa State Fair. With the backing of Stevens' venture capital company, Growth Ventures Group, they launched Prairie Logic in 2001, changing the name to Micoy in 2003. Much of the last four years has been spent developing the technology with a lingering fear that someone might beat it to it, Stevens said. Sure enough, in 2003, Stevens found the Web site of Israeli company RVC , which was developing a "real vision camera." If the technology wasn't exactly the same, the concept nearly was, Stevens said. But RVC had run out of money and couldn't build the camera. Micoy acquired RVC in June to remove doubt about the technology's inventors. Micoy was awarded its first patent in February and has several more patents pending in the United States and around the world. But Micoy has received more attention for winning a "World's Best Technology" award earlier this month. The annual awards recognize promising new technologies. Micoy was one of 76 companies selected for the competition and one of three given awards. "While panoramic cameras exist, the Micoy technology is unique in that the technology allows you to feel like you are literally inside a movie or real environment," said Paul Huleatt , chief executive of World's Best Technology. The awards are sponsored by a consortium of federally funded research centers and a group of venture fund investors. Upon entering Micoy's Ames development center, that award is the first thing to catch the eye - it's one of the few items in the room. Stevens acknowledged that the bare furnishings betray Micoy's startup status. Even the future dome for the demonstration room is apparent only by tape markings on the floor. Micoy lacks furniture but is attracting business. Stevens said he's fielded calls from a wide range of potential clients. The cameras can be used for corporate training, entertainment or travel simulations. The company is also working on a soon-to-be-released, real-time, 360-degree camera with potential security uses. "You'll be able to log into any camera you have access to in the world and be there and here at the same time," Stevens said. How it works Micoy's patented sphere-shaped camera has 84 lenses that film in all directions. Micoy software processes the film, producing 3-D imagery with directional sound. Played back, the viewer is surrounded by video. The camera and software have "platform technology," which can be the basis for multiple applications ranging from flight simulation to video games and museum exhibits. Micoy
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