The future, it seems, will be full of reasons not to leave your own home, and we have AR and VR to thank.
Microsoft has revealed a new pseudo-teleportation system that works with its HoloLens augmented reality headset.
The technology is called ‘holoportation’, and it basically lets two HoloLens users enter each other’s worlds from afar.
Each user requires a dedicated camera rig to track their body, and a HoloLens to see the other person generated in 3D space.
If all goes to plan, you’ll be able to see a computer-generated, motion-tracked version of your friend in your living room, even if that person is actually thousands of miles away.
“Holoportation is a new type of 3D capture technology that allows high-quality 3D models of people to be reconstructed, compressed, and transmitted anywhere in the world in real-time,” explains Microsoft.
“When combined with mixed reality displays such as HoloLens, this technology allows users to see and interact with remote participants in 3D as if they are actually present in their physical space,” it continues.
Microsoft adds: “Communicating and interacting with remote users becomes as natural as face to face communication.”
Microsoft announced its Windows Holographic platform at a press event on January 21 last year. The Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition is set to be released on March 30, 2016.
The Development Edition is considered to be consumer-ready by Microsoft, but it will initially cost $3,000.
There is no publicly-known timeframe for an actual consumer release.
