ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

3D pose estimation

3D pose estimation is like trying to figure out how a person is standing or moving in a 3D space. Imagine you have a toy doll and you want to make it stand in a certain pose that you drew on a piece of paper. But the problem is, you can't see the doll's pose from all angles at the same time. So, you have to look at the doll from different angles and make some guesses about how its body parts are positioned at each angle.

In 3D pose estimation, computers use cameras to take pictures of people from different angles. These pictures help the computer analyze how the person is positioned in 3D space. The computer tries to "guess" where each part of the person's body is located based on the pictures it sees.

For example, if the computer sees a person's face and arms in one picture, it can "guess" where the rest of the body is located based on the position of the face and arms. Then, it takes another picture and makes another "guess" about where the body parts are located. It keeps doing this with more pictures until it has a complete 3D model of the person and how they are moving.

This technology is used in many different fields, such as robotics, virtual reality, and animation. It can help robots "see" and interact with people in a more natural way, create realistic animations of people moving, and even help doctors diagnose and treat certain medical conditions.