We're still trying to get used to the exciting, magical things that virtual reality offers us, but a new experiment from Disney Research pushes this technology into another realm: interacting with real objects.
A demonstration of the experiment was revealed on Monday via video, showing a VR user accurately catching a real ball. However, the user cannot see the real ball. Instead, they react to a virtual ball that reacts to match the real-world object.
The tracking was performed using an OptiTrack Flex 13 motion camera, which captures the ball as well as the user's hands and head at approximately 120 frames per second.
“While there are small latencies in our system and objects such as the user’s hands are rendered somewhat abstractly, our system allows users to be quite proficient at catching balls while in VR,” says the Disney Research study [PDF]. “Thus, combining the interaction between virtual and physical dynamics to enrich virtual reality experiences.” This kind of experimentation with using real objects in conjunction with VR is on the rise, most recently with the advent of HTC Vive trackers, which can be placed on real-world objects.
While Disney Research doesn't mention other activities that could use this method, it's not hard to imagine a future of group VR games, interactive presentations, and even educational apps that use real-world objects. Or, dare we dream, maybe even some Star Wars mixed reality experiences in the future. Jedi training anyone?
And if you really want to go all out, this could also be an early look at a real Star Trek holodeck, a fictional room that allows users to actually feel the effects of virtual objects.
Whether we get there through haptic feedback suits, real-world object tracking, or perhaps a combination of both, Disney Research's experiment is yet another indication that we're only at the beginning of a number of exciting experiments in VR that could help make it, as many predict, the ultimate computing platform.
