Virtual reality in actual reality

Geek Crossing! © Microsoft Research.

Researchers at Microsoft are working on new virtual reality technologies that let users stay fully immersed in a virtual world while walking around in the real world. Wearing the DreamWalker, you’ll be able to walk down your street while seeing an entirely different virtual environment; the physical obstacles you may encounter on the way will be detected by an array of sensors and replaced in real-time by virtual objects in your parallel universe. To make sure you don’t see random objects suddenly popping into your virtual field of vision, DreamWalker uses a clever system, called Mise-Unseen, with virtual lures to draw your gaze elsewhere while it inserts objects. For example, if the system needs to add or change an object on your right, it can make a cat walk in on your left to make you move your focus while it inserts an object in the other direction.

⇨ YouTube, “DreamWalker: substituting real-world walking experiences with a virtual reality.”

⇨ YouTube, “Mise-Unseen: Using Eye Tracking to Hide Virtual Reality Scene Changes in Plain Sight.”

⇨ Microsoft Research, “DreamWalker: substituting real-world walking experiences with a virtual reality.”

⇨ Ars Technica, Samuel Axon, “Microsoft’s DreamWalker VR turns your daily commute into a totally different one.”