Mixed scale motion recovery

Motion frequently occurs at mixed scales. Subtle localized motion often takes place together with long range movements. For instance, the pose of a soccer player is contained in a much smaller volume than the entire playing area, and the expression on an actor's face is at a much smaller scale than the room in which the actor moves. Recovering these motions requires high resolution imagery suitable for resolving small details. It simultaneously requires increasing the working volume in which recovery is possible. Traditional motion capture has concentrated on single scale domains. This dissertation presents a framework for discussing mixed-scale motion recovery systems, and proposes a specific system design.; Mixed scale motion can be recovered with a foveated tracking system. Such a system has multiple stages. A wide area tracking subsystem makes use of many cameras to robustly localize motion. A small scale tracking subsystem makes use of narrowly focused cameras to recover motion with high accuracy. These latter cameras are mounted on pan-tilt heads and can be dynamically oriented in the correct direction to provide high resolution coverage of the active region. This system is demonstrated on a specific application of practical interest to the entertainment industry, capturing simultaneous body and facial motion.