Via Scoble, the demo for a new technology preview from Microsoft Live Labs, Photosynth. I’m not usually a fan boy and I try to stay away from hyperbole, but this is simply an amazing demonstration of technology and academics intersecting.
Check out the demo video. Yes, it only works in IE and via ActiveX, minus points for that. But the technology itself is stunning and opens the window for so many more possibilities.
Imagine an image search engine that could recognize related images to one you choose and stitch together a 3-dimensional representation with those images. You see this happening in the demo with a data set of images of Rome, Italy. You could potentially see Rome from angles you didn’t photograph by having the software find images and forming the perspective you want to see.
Outside of virtual tourism, the possibilities roam to gaming (naturally), archeology, criminal justice, landscaping, mapping/navigation.. it’s a very exciting thought. Definitely an technology to continue to watch.
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