Microsoft recently unveiled some new technology that may bring you one step closer to having that holodeck you’ve always wanted:
The MirageTable uses a 3D-video projector to beam images onto a sheet of curved white plastic placed in front of the user.
At each end one of Microsoft’s Kinect depth camera sensors is used to track the direction of each person’s gaze as well as to capture the shape and appearance of objects placed on the surface and the participant sitting behind them.
Users are also required to wear shutter glasses in order to see the projected image in three dimensions. Two computers linked by a network connection are required to power the experience.
The researchers said they were “motivated by a simple idea: can we enable the user to interact with 3D digital objects alongside real objects in the same physically realistic way and without wearing any additional trackers, gloves or gear.”
This news comes hot on the heels of Tupac’s holo-resurrection, leading me to wonder if someday soon we might be able to play chess with our favorite deceased members of the Wu-Tang Clan.
[via BBC News]