Tag: microsoft augmented reality

RoomAlive creates virtual objects that people can interact with in the physical world.

The augmented reality gaming system can turn a full living room into a virtual play area, which was recently demonstrated in a proof-of-concept video that was released by Microsoft Research.

RoomAlive utilizes a projector and a collection of depth cameras.

This is how the AR system maps the room, as well as the furniture and the people inside it. The pixels that are mapped can be used for input or output, which enables people to touch, dodge or shoot virtual content.

In the recent video about RoomAlive, it demonstrates how the system is set up and shows diverse simple game concepts in action. The people demoing the system are shown playing a whack-a mole like game that uses a gun and another game with traps that pop out of walls. Furthermore, according to the video, the system is linked to Unity, which gives developers the opportunity to design games around Microsoft’s augmented reality technology.

The narrator in the video says that “The system automatically creates a unified model of the room by combining the depth maps from each pro cam unit. In addition to the 3D model, our system automatically extracts the surfaces in the room, identifying vertical and horizontal surfaces in the floor plan.”

Microsoft’s augmented reality gaming system adapts content to any room.

The information provided in the video states that users of RoomAlive can touch, stomp, dodge, shoot and steer content that is projected seamlessly into the room, as if it were a natural part of the physical environment.

Furthermore, a unified model of the room is created by the system that does not require the intervention of the user. This is made possible because the projector-depth camera units are self-localizing and individually auto-calibrating.

The RoomAlive augmented reality system is still in the research stages and there has been no word yet on when this unique gaming experience will be available for consumers to obtain and enjoy. Furthermore, while there is no question that this is indeed a fascinating device, it is likely to be a costly product since it requires more than one high-end projector to work.

It has been reported from a number of technology news sources that Project Fortaleza is on hold.

Although the rumors have been flying about a pair of augmented reality glasses that were expected to be released at some point in the not-too-distant future, by Microsoft, reports are suddenly being released that suggest that the wait is going to be considerably longer than expected because the project, as a whole, has been put on hold.

Expectations for AR wearable technology have been high since a Microsoft patent was leaked last year.

The augmented reality device had been in the works as a peripheral for Xbox One. The codename for this product was called “Project Fortaleza”. That said, since that first leak, there hasn’t been a great deal of information that has come available from the company. Moreover, Microsoft, itself, has never confirmed or denied that the wearable technology exists, at all. Now, it looks as though the Project Fortaleza work has been “temporarily cancelled”. The original report was made on WPDang, a Chinese website.

This suggests that the augmented reality project is simply on hold and not actually stopped altogether.

According to the source, the reason that the AR glasses are being placed on the back burner has nothing to do with the actually implementing the technology. The development of the device didn’t seem to be coming with any hitches, at all. However, a considerable number of the tech patents that are involved in the process of making this device do not actually belong to Microsoft. Therefore, the company would be required to license those patents – an action that is now keeping Fortaleza from becoming available to Xbox One owners.

Some of the patents have already been licensed for the Kinect sensor’s second generation, but those licenses are specifically meant for that one device and cannot be carried over to be used for anything else.

Until those issues are sorted out, it is clear that the primary push being made by Microsoft will not be in augmented reality. This could end up presenting the company with some challenges as it looks as though Sony and its Oculus are hoping to be the next breakthrough in VR gaming.