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Posts Tagged ‘virtual reality’

Technology Changing How We Work, Play, Shop

February 5th, 2010

Virtual saleswoman and other technology changing how we work, play, shop

Our avatars are coming. Those mobile and 3-D and interactive technologies being created around us are about to beam us into a new world, filled with workday holograms, avatars and stuff we called magic only a few years ago. Read more »

The Making of Avatar

January 14th, 2010

Behind the scenes at Weta Digital, where creativity meets cutting-edge science

James Cameron has spent the better part of a decade developing the technology used to create Avatar.

Back in 1996, James Cameron announced that he would be creating a film called Avatar, a science-fiction epic that would feature photo-realistic, computer-generated characters. Read more »

The Future of Brain-Controlled Devices

January 4th, 2010
MindFlex
Games such as Mindflex use headsets with simple electrodes to monitor levels of concentration and relaxation.

(CNN) — In the shimmering fantasy realm of the hit movie Avatar, a paraplegic Marine leaves his wheelchair behind and finds his feet in a new virtual world thanks to “the link,” a sophisticated chamber that connects his brain to a surrogate alien, via computer. Read more »

Immersive Game System Allows Physical Interaction Between Players

December 28th, 2009

Immersive Game System Allows Physical Interaction Between Players
Enlarge Image

In the virtual reality game, the player’s avatar mirrors the player’s actions. Credit: Tedjokusumo, et al. ©2009 IEEE.

(PhysOrg.com) — With a new immersive multiplayer game system, researchers are further blurring the line between gaming and the real world. Using a mouse and keyboard sounds kind of quaint compared to the system developed and tested by Jefry Tedjokusumo, Steven ZhiYing Zhou, and Stefan Winkler of the National University of Singapore (Winkler is currently with Symmetricom in San Jose, California). Read more »

Adidas Turns the Sneaker Into an Augmented Reality Device

December 28th, 2009

Can’t find your Nintendo DS? Try one of the new Adidas sneakers instead.

Adidas has created a virtual 3-D world that can be accessed using an upcoming line of five men’s sneakers in an idea that ties into one of the technology trends of the year: augmented reality.

“The foundation of augmented reality lies in adding a layer to the real world,” says Chris Barbour, head of digital marketing for Adidas Originals. “That’s what we have done. We have taken a real world item and added a fantastic virtual world on top of that”

All users have to do is go to the Adidas site and hold up their sneaker, which has a code embedded in its tongue, in front of their computer webcam. A virtual world then pops out in front of them and they can navigate it using their sneaker as a controller. Read more »