air pocket optimization fabricated model AirCode embeded input mesh user-specified region & data goo.gl/1ph6g2 global component a c d e b Figure 1. (a) AirCode tagging tool takes as inputs a mesh, a user-specified region, and embedded data. (b) It first determines the air pocket parameters, including the depth d and thickness h, for a fabrication material. (c) An AirCode tag is embedded inside the object, without changing its geometry or appearance. (d) The fabricated tag is invisible under environmental lighting. (e) Using our imaging system that separates out the global scattering effects, the user detects the embedded tag and retrieve the data. "Moai" by gravityisweak / CC BY 3.0 / modified from original.
ABSTRACTWe present AirCode, a technique that allows the user to tag physically fabricated objects with given information. An Air-Code tag consists of a group of carefully designed air pockets placed beneath the object surface. These air pockets are easily produced during the fabrication process of the object, without any additional material or postprocessing. Meanwhile, the air pockets affect only the scattering light transport under the surface, and thus are hard to notice to our naked eyes. But, by using a computational imaging method, the tags become detectable. We present a tool that automates the design of air pockets for the user to encode information. AirCode system also allows the user to retrieve the information from captured images via a robust decoding algorithm. We demonstrate our tagging technique with applications for metadata embedding, robotic grasping, as well as conveying object affordances.