Tech
Levitating BitDrones Display Information Midair with Physical Blocks (VIDEO)
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Nov 10, 2015 08:56 AM EST
A new system may revolutionize the way people interact with virtual reality. The system, called BitDrones, allows users to explore virtual 3D information by interacting with physical self-levitating building blocks.
There are three types of BitDrones in all, with each representing self-levitating displays of distinct resolution. "PixelDrones" are equipped with one LED and a small dot matrix display. "ShapeDrones" are augmented with a lightweight mesh and a 3D printed geometric frame, and serve as building blocks for complex 3D models. "DisplayDrones" are fitted with a curved flexible high resolution touchscreen, a forward-facing video camera and Android smartphone board.
All three BitDrone types are equipped with reflective markers, allowing them to be individually tracked and positioned in real time via motion capture technology. The system also tracks the user's hand motion and touch, allowing users to manipulate the voxels in space.
"We call this a Real Reality interface rather than a Virtual Reality interface," said Roel Vertegaal, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This is what distinguishes it from technologies such as Microsoft HoloLens and the Oculus Rift: you can actually touch these pixels, and see them without a headset."
In theory, a person can physically explore a file folder by touching the folder's associated PixelDrone. When the folder opens, its contents are shown by other PixelDrones flying in a horizontal wheel below it. Files in this wheel are browsed by physically swiping drones to the left or right.
In addition, users would be able to manipulate ShapeDrones to serve as building blocks for a real-time 3D model. And the system could allow for remote telepresence by allowing users to appear locally through a DisplayDrone with Skype.
Want to learn more? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube.
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First Posted: Nov 10, 2015 08:56 AM EST
A new system may revolutionize the way people interact with virtual reality. The system, called BitDrones, allows users to explore virtual 3D information by interacting with physical self-levitating building blocks.
There are three types of BitDrones in all, with each representing self-levitating displays of distinct resolution. "PixelDrones" are equipped with one LED and a small dot matrix display. "ShapeDrones" are augmented with a lightweight mesh and a 3D printed geometric frame, and serve as building blocks for complex 3D models. "DisplayDrones" are fitted with a curved flexible high resolution touchscreen, a forward-facing video camera and Android smartphone board.
All three BitDrone types are equipped with reflective markers, allowing them to be individually tracked and positioned in real time via motion capture technology. The system also tracks the user's hand motion and touch, allowing users to manipulate the voxels in space.
"We call this a Real Reality interface rather than a Virtual Reality interface," said Roel Vertegaal, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This is what distinguishes it from technologies such as Microsoft HoloLens and the Oculus Rift: you can actually touch these pixels, and see them without a headset."
In theory, a person can physically explore a file folder by touching the folder's associated PixelDrone. When the folder opens, its contents are shown by other PixelDrones flying in a horizontal wheel below it. Files in this wheel are browsed by physically swiping drones to the left or right.
In addition, users would be able to manipulate ShapeDrones to serve as building blocks for a real-time 3D model. And the system could allow for remote telepresence by allowing users to appear locally through a DisplayDrone with Skype.
Want to learn more? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube.
Related Stories
New, Implantable, Wireless Device May Block Pain Signals with Light
Augmented Reality May be the Future of Gaming and Child Creativity
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone