Intel and Microvision are a showing a new game-controller that includes Microvision's laser pico projector engine. The weapon-styled hand held game controller projects life-size video images on walls, ceilings and floors. This creates a 'realistic virtual combat experience' according to Intel. The game players can experience "an immersive 360-degree feel".
The new controller prototyped is demonstrated at the Intel's Extreme Masters pc gaming tournament in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on Friday, Dec. 11 through Sunday, Dec. 13.
VR = pico projectors + dome/glasses + movable floor + computers
Take this: http://www.gizmag.com/cyberwalk-omni-directional-treadmill/13273/ and place a dome over the top of it with a person inside that's wearing a headband that has 3 [1 facing, 2 peripheral] pico projectors and motion/orientation tracking. The dome would make for a pretty seamless display surface, as well as block out most light. Would look best standing still and looking around, but as long as the floor can keep up fairly well and keep the person centered, there shouldn't be much distortion in the projected image.
Alternatively, you could have a glasses rig with with 2 projectors for each eye [2 facing, 2 peripheral] this might be easier to code for, since the distance from projector to eye wouldn't change, and the position/orientation would only need to be tracked for feeding into the environment generator, not the display generator as well. Some people might not like the idea of having lasers directly scanning their retinas though.
pico projector + cameras + gyro-compass + UMPC + ar-toolkit = awesome AR machine.
Headband (again) with single pico projector and camera over 3rd eye, 2 more cameras above the eyes and gyro-compass in the back for real-time head tilt/orientation info. One camera would be enough for AR, but with 3 you can do complete interaction with the environment as long as you are interacting within the field of view of at least 2 of the cameras.
First productive thing that comes to mind: virtual cubicles. all cubicles in an office are nothing but rooms with chairs in the center that have hand rests on them where a virtual keyboard can be projected. workers simply activate their projection systems, and their virtual office exists before them. All work is done via computed interaction with this AR environment, so there's no equipment that can be stolen or broken, and people could work from anywhere there was a suitable room and high-bandwidth link back to the main office servers.
I can think of a thousand non-productive uses of this kind of tech, but I've already rambled on for way too long. Thanks for this blog, it'll be really interesting to see how pico projection matures while AR is emerging right beside it.