Research and Development Services in 6G technologies, within the framework of the Coordinated Project "6G-OPENVERSO"

The purpose of lot 1 is the execution of tasks related to the design, implementation and validation of volumetric video capture systems using light field technology sensors.

With the realization of the aforementioned lot 1 of the contractual object, the contracting authority intends to cover the following needs and / or functionalities:

1. Conceptualize a multisensor volumetric video capture subsystem, using high-resolution light field technology sensors, which allows capturing complete volumes of human bodies. This conceptualization involves an analysis of the state of the art, in order to select the most appropriate solutions in terms of capture sensors and their configuration, as well as the synchronized, precise and low latency fusion of the flows captured by each sensor for the creation of high quality volumes.

2. Implement a volumetric video capture subsystem by using a single sensor (lighter configuration) and several sensors (more complex configuration) light field, which can provide content in Point Cloud and RGB-D format. The subsystem shall include semi-automatic calibration functionalities of the sensors, as well as for their synchronization.

3. Implement a module for merging the flows provided by each sensor and precise volumetric reconstruction, with low latency, high frame rate, resolution, and sharpness. This module must be virtualizable for installation and dynamic deployment at the edge.

4. Development and delivery of a hardware + software prototype of the complete system and support for its integration into the complete platform of the project to be deployed in the i2CAT testbed.

5. Support for validation and demonstration activities within the framework of the pilot actions to be executed in the project.

6. Support to communication and dissemination activities planned within the framework of the project.

The purpose of lot 2 is to execute tasks related to the design, implementation and validation of Free-Viewpoint Video (FVV) capture systems using stereo sensors.

With the realization of the aforementioned lot 2 of the contractual object, the contracting authority intends to cover the following needs and / or functionalities:

1. Conceptualize a multisensor VVF capture subsystem, using stereo video sensors (or similar) off-the-shelf, which allows capturing fields of view greater than 130º. This conceptualization implies an analysis of the state of the art, in order to select the most appropriate solutions in terms of sensors and their configuration, as well as the precise, high-quality and low-latency synthesis of desired points of view.

2. Implement an FVV video capture subsystem that allows flexible configurations in terms of the number of sensors, and that can provide the contents in RGB(-D) format. The subsystem shall include semi-automatic calibration functionalities of the sensors, as well as for their synchronization.

3. Implement a synthesis module of the flows provided by each sensor, with high quality and low latency, for points of view that can be updated interactively and independently for different clients. This module must be virtualizable for instantiation and dynamic deployment at the edge.

4. Development and delivery of a hardware + software prototype of the complete system and support for its integration into the complete platform of the project to be deployed in the i2CAT testbed.

5. Support for validation and demonstration activities within the framework of the pilot actions to be executed in the project.

6. Support to communication and dissemination activities planned within the framework of the project.

The purpose of lot 3 is to execute tasks related to the design, implementation and validation of adaptive processing and distribution solutions for immersive video at the edge. Likewise, it seeks to provide greater adaptability in terms of the distribution of multimedia content to end customers.

With the realization of the aforementioned lot 3 of the contractual object, the contracting authority intends to cover the following needs and / or functionalities:

1. Conceptualize and develop a cloud component (e.g. Edge) for adaptive immersive video distribution, which allows to deliver a single merged stream for incoming RGB-D content (for example, referring to holographic representations of users). The merger will be carried out from a given point of view and position, either fixed or indicated by each client participating in the multimedia session, with high granularity. Likewise, it will be possible to adapt the resolution and bitrate of the outgoing flow depending on the processing capacities and bandwidth of each target client. The merged stream will be delivered to a web player via WebRTC. This player will report on bandwidth and delay metrics, on instant viewpoints and positions, and will directly receive the contents referring to the 3D scene and traditional video intakes, through other components / servers in the cloud.

2. Development and delivery of a software prototype of the component and support for its integration into the complete platform of the project to be deployed in the i2CAT testbed.

3. Support for validation and demonstration activities within the framework of the pilot actions to be executed in the project.

4. Support to communication and dissemination activities planned within the framework of the project.

The purpose of lot 4 is the execution of tasks related to the design, implementation and validation of video processing and distribution solutions at the edge, including immersive formats.

With the realization of the aforementioned lot 4 of the contractual object, the contracting authority intends to cover the following needs and / or functionalities:

1. Conceptualize a Remote Rendering component, with support for heterogeneous multimedia content, including synthetic 3D formats, point clouds, RGB-D streams and 2D video intakes. This conceptualization implies an analysis of the state of the art in the field of Remote Rendering at the Edge, in order to select the most appropriate solutions in terms of deployment and virtualization platform, (trans-)coding solutions to use, synchronization solutions to be implemented, necessary interactions with other components of the end-to-end platform, protocols and content distribution strategies, etc. The rendered stream will be delivered to a web player, which will report on bandwidth and delay metrics, as well as instant views and position. The player will include a voice communication channel, using Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC), to allow partner clients to participate in the multimedia session for which that component is deployed.

2. Implementation of the Remote Rendering component, including variants of 2D and 360º rendering, as well as rendering from a fixed point of view and position and well indicated interactively by end customers.

3. Development and delivery of a software prototype of the Remote Rendering component and support for its integration into the complete platform of the project to be deployed in the i2CAT testbed.

4. Support for validation and demonstration activities within the framework of the pilot actions to be executed in the project.

5. Support to communication and dissemination activities planned within the framework of the project.