'Pokemon Go' Inspires MIT To Develop Cheaper Virtual Simulation Technology

A "Pokemon Go" inspired technology has been developed by MIT researchers to cheaply simulate the way objects respond to various forces. The technology makes use of potential applications as diverse as games and civil engineering.

MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) researchers created an imaging technique that could find applications in business and could pave way for a more realistic "Pokemon Go" experience. The new technology is believed to reduce the need for CGI green screens too, Electronics 360reported.

CSAIL's imagine technique allows users to reach out and touch objects inside the video and cause them to react as they would in a real-world interaction. MIT researchers find the technique to be useful for applications in major engineering projects such as bridge constructions. The feature is not yet integrated in the popular "Pokemon Go" app. However, it could also boost an upgrade to augmented-reality games like "Pokemon Go" and special effects in movies.

The technique could potentially offer a cheaper way to simulate objects than by building 3D models like "Pokemon Go's.' The difference on this imaging technique is that it can be used to create realistic simulations by using just a 5-second video clip.

The technique only requires a video footage to be captured using a traditional camera and an algorithm that analyzes vibration modes. The analyses reflect the ways an object responds to vibrations at different frequencies, MIT News reported. The researchers will then be able to predict how objects will move in new situations using the data.

CSAIL PhD student Abe Davis, who will reportedly publish the work this month, demonstrated the modelling method with a bush moving under a breeze and kicked a playground equipment. Using the data gathered from his samples, he simulated the effect of Pokemon creatures bouncing off the objects. "Pokemon Go" developers and other virtual-reality developers are encouraged to think of the new imaging technique in a different way. The team calls the project as Interactive Dynamic Video (IDV).