Abstract: A method of generating a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of a human includes obtaining at least one colour image and corresponding depth image of a scene comprising a human subject that is at least partially occluded by one or more items. The regions in the at least one colour image corresponding to a human subject are identified. A point cloud of the scene is generated based on the at least one colour image and corresponding depth image. One or more parameters of a parametric model are then adjusted based on the regions of the point cloud identified as corresponding to the human subject. The adjusted parametric model is then used to generate a 3D reconstruction of the human subject; where the parametric model provides an estimate for points in the point cloud corresponding to the occluded parts of the human subject. A corresponding system is also provided.

Abstract: An image rendering method for rendering a pixel of a virtual scene at a viewpoint includes: downloading a machine learning system corresponding to a current or anticipated state an application determining the virtual scene to be rendered from among a plurality of machine learning systems corresponding to a plurality of states of the application; providing a position and a direction based on the viewpoint to the machine learning system previously trained to predict a factor; combining the predicted factor from the machine learning system with a distribution function that characterises an interaction of light with a predetermined surface to generate the pixel value corresponding to an illuminated first element of the virtual scene at the position; and incorporating the pixel value into a rendered image for display.

Abstract: A content modification system comprising a content receiving unit operable to receive content comprising a virtual environment and one or more active elements, an input receiving unit operable to receive inputs from one or more users, an element addition unit operable to generate one or more virtual elements within the virtual environment in response to the received inputs, the virtual elements being unable to be interacted with by the one or more active elements, and a content generation unit operable to generate modified content comprising the virtual environment, the one or more active elements, and the one or more generated virtual elements.

Abstract: A system for generating an input signal for a video game includes: a receiving unit configured to receive a video game output signal output by a video game playing device during the playing of a video game; a reasoning model configured to determine an action to take within the video game based on the received video game output signal, the reasoning model being configured to generate a representation of the determined action that is independent of the video game; and an encoding unit configured to translate the representation into an input signal and to provide the input signal to a video game playing device at which the video game is being played, thereby causing the determined action to be performed within the video game.

Abstract: An encoding apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises an input unit operable to obtain a plurality of training images, said training images being for use in training a machine learning model. The apparatus also comprises a label unit operable to obtain a class label associated with the training images; and a key unit operable to obtain a secret key for use in encoding the training images. The apparatus further comprises an image noise generator operable to generate, based on the obtained secret key, noise for introducing into the training images. The image noise generator is configured to generate noise that correlates with the class label associated with the training images such that a machine learning model subsequently trained with the modified training images learns to associate the introduced noise with the class label for those images. A corresponding decoding apparatus is also provided.

Abstract: A method comprises generating a first environment representation for rendering a video representation of a virtual environment; and generating a second environment representation for rendering an audio output at a virtual listening position within the virtual environment in response to sounds generated by one or more virtual sound sources within the virtual environment; in which the first and second environment representations comprise respective different geometrical representations of the virtual environment; in which the step of generating the second environment representation comprises: generating a starting version of the second environment representation; and modifying the starting version of the second environment representation.

Abstract: A system for adjusting the pose of a camera relative to a subject in a scene is provided. The system comprises a camera operable to capture images of a scene; an identification unit configured to identify an object of interest in images of the scene; a pose processor configured to obtain a pose of the object of interest in the scene relative to the camera; a scene analyser operable to determine, based on at least one of the obtained pose of the object of interest and images captured by the camera, a scene quality associated with images captured by the camera. A controller is configured to cause the pose of the camera to be adjusted based on a determination that the scene quality of an image captured at a current pose is less than a threshold value. A corresponding device is also provided.

Abstract: An audio personalisation method for a user, to reproduce an area-based or volumetric sound source, includes the steps of, for a head related transfer function ‘HRTF’ associated with the user, smoothing HRTF coefficients relating to peaks and notches in the HRTF's spectral response, responsive to the size of the area or volume of the sound source; filtering the sound source using the smoothed HRTF for the notional position of the sound source; and outputting the filtered sound source signal for playback to the user.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes avatar monitoring circuitry to receive gaze data for a first user associated with a first avatar in a virtual reality environment, the gaze data for the first user indicative of a gaze point for the first user with respect to the virtual reality environment, in which the avatar monitoring circuitry is configured to select one or more objects in the virtual reality environment in dependence upon the gaze data for the first user and to store first avatar information for the first avatar indicative of one or more of the selected objects, input circuitry to receive gaze data for a second user indicative of a gaze point for the second user with respect to the virtual reality environment, and processing circuitry to generate one or more images for the virtual reality environment for display to the second user, in which the processing circuitry is configured to: select the first avatar in dependence upon the gaze point for the second user with respect to the first avatar; and gen

Abstract: A data processing apparatus adapted to output recommendation information for modifying source code, includes: compiler circuitry to compile the source code and to output compiled code for the source code, processing circuitry to execute the compiled code, profile circuitry to monitor the execution of the compiled code by the processing circuitry and to generate profile information for the execution of the compiled code, the profile information including one or more statistical properties for the execution of the compiled code, and recommendation circuitry to output the recommendation information for the source code, the recommendation circuitry including a machine learning model to receive at least a portion of the profile information and trained to output the recommendation information for the source code in dependence upon one or more of the statistical properties, in which the recommendation information is indicative of one or more editing instructions for modifying the source code.

Abstract: A gaze tracking system comprising a first camera operable to capture images of a user within an environment, a second camera, having a smaller field of view than the first camera, operable to capture images of at least one of the user's eyes, an eye identification unit operable to identify a location of at least one of the user's eyes from images captured by the first camera, a camera control unit operable to modify the position and/or orientation of the second camera in dependence upon the detected location of the at least one of the user's eyes, so as to cause the second camera to be able to capture images of at least one of the user's eyes, and a gaze direction identification unit operable to identify a gaze direction of the user from images captured by the second camera.

Abstract: A content generation system, the system comprising an input obtaining unit operable to obtain one or more samples of input text and/or audio relating to a first content, an input analysis unit operable to generate n-grams representing one or more elements of the obtained inputs, a representation generating unit operable to generate a visual representation of one or more of the generated n-grams, and a display generation unit operable to generate second content comprising one or more elements of the visual representation in association with the first content.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes input circuitry to receive viewpoint data indicative of respective viewpoints for a plurality of spectators of a virtual environment, detection circuitry to detect a portion of the virtual environment viewed by each of the respective viewpoints in dependence upon the viewpoint data, selection circuitry to select one or more regions of the virtual environment in dependence upon at least some of the detected portions, and output circuitry to output data indicative of one or more of the selected regions.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes storage circuitry to store graphics data for a first device, receiving circuitry to receive second device information indicative of one or more properties for a second device with one or more different capabilities to the first device, control circuitry to reduce a quality of at least one aspect of the graphics data in dependence upon the second device information to obtain modified graphics data and output circuitry to output the modified graphics data, where the control circuitry is configured to reduce a quality of the at least one aspect according to a predetermined quality level from a plurality of predetermined quality levels for the at least one aspect, the predetermined quality level identified in dependence upon the second device information.

Abstract: A system for generating audio content in dependence upon an input audio track comprising audio corresponding to one or more sound sources, the system comprising an audio input unit operable to input the input audio track to one or more models, each representing one or more of the sound sources, and an audio generation unit operable to generate, using the one or more models, one or more audio tracks each comprising a representation of the audio contribution of the corresponding sound sources of the input audio track, wherein the generated audio tracks comprise one or more variations relative to the corresponding portion of the input audio track.

Abstract: A system for positioning objects within an environment includes: an input unit operable to receive data representative of at least a portion of an environment comprising one or more features associated with the environment; an object determining unit operable to identify, for one or more objects, one or more features associated with each respective object, and operable to determine which of the one or more objects are to be positioned within the environment; and an object positioning unit operable to position the one or more determined objects within the environment in dependence upon at least one of the features associated with the environment and at least one of the features associated with each respective determined object, where the object positioning unit is operable to utilise a machine learning model, trained using one or more examples of one or more other objects positioned within at least a portion of one or more other environments in dependence upon at least one feature associated with each respecti

Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes receiving circuitry to receive graphics data for at least a portion of a virtual environment, the graphics data including a plurality of virtual objects, a machine learning model trained to output data indicative of an object classification for one or more of the virtual objects in dependence upon the graphics data, assignment circuitry to assign one or more of the virtual objects to one or more virtual object groups in dependence upon the object classification for one or more of the virtual objects, where the virtual objects assigned to a same virtual object group have a same object classification, and control circuitry to share first interaction data associated with a first virtual object assigned to a virtual object group with a second virtual object assigned to the virtual object group to thereby permit use of the first interaction data for the second virtual object in response to a user interaction with the second virtual object in the virtual environment.

Abstract: A display system for use in a Pepper's Ghost illusion includes a light emissive display, a sensor operable to detect the position of an attachment member of a cone, relative to the light emissive display, and a positioning processor operable to position images, which have been distorted by an inverse of the distortion caused by the reflection of the cone, responsive to the detected position of the cone relative to the light emissive display.

Abstract: A system for improving a discovery process for a virtual environment, the system comprising an environment discovery unit operable to perform a discovery process comprising navigation of the virtual environment and identification of one or more aspects of the virtual environment, a performance analysis unit operable to evaluate the effectiveness of the discovery process, and a discovery update unit operable to modify future operation of the environment discovery unit in dependence upon the evaluation.

Abstract: A system configured to perform an eye tracking process using a head-mountable eye-tracking arrangement, the system comprising an eye tracking unit, located on the head-mountable arrangement, operable to detect motion of one or both of the user's eyes, a relative motion identification unit operable to identify motion of the head-mountable arrangement relative to the user's head, and a correction unit operable to determine a correction to the eye tracking process in dependence upon the identified motion of the user's head relative to the head-mountable arrangement.