While sci-fi fans are pleased to know that there are folks out trying to figure out a way for us to someday soar past rush hour traffic in our very own Jetpack or surf around the neighborhood on a hoverboard, the next most logical question is… “Where’s my Holodeck?!”
You can be rest assured, though, that it’s in the works. Sony Europe, Studio Output and Marshmallow Laser Feast have teamed up to produce a series of short films to showcase a projection system that’s the closest thing yet to an interactive holographic environment. This is done using a clever integration of the Playstation Move controllers, a Steadicam and Eyetoy cameras to properly adjust the angle of the background visuals in a seamless, continuous manner based on the movement of the camera. The technique is a more sophisticated form of “3D projection mapping,” which utilizes special software to make a static object appear animated.
As you can see, the system can re-create scenes reminiscent of popular hit movies such as Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean. But what’s particularly impressive is that the shots in each of these films are all done in one take, meaning there’s no clever editing or other slight of hand visual effects involved (just don’t pay too much attention to the camouflaged actors).
Alright, so the technology is still a long way off the Star Trek version, which can easily get you in on a poker game with Mark Twain, but the future has to start somewhere.
(via ZDNet)
More Sci-fi tech:
- A hoverboard powered by quantum levitation [video]
- Jetpack flies among the clouds, shatters all sorts of records [video]
- ‘Back to the Future’ self-lacing shoes coming 2015
- Using a flying magic carpet to explore Mars [video]
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