Augmented reality robot fleshes out virtual characters
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The "virtual humanoid" prototype will allow you to physically interact with a computer-generated character seen through a head-mounted display
A concept sketch showing the various components of the virtual humanoid
The computer-generated character image is super-imposed over the robot using green screen technology similar to that used in TV and movies
A prototype called U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi developed in 2006 was too costly to commercialize
A smaller version of the prototype will sell for between US$4,800 and $5,300
Strain gauges in the robot's arms detect movement, allowing users to physically interact with it
The digital character's movements were based on those of the robot, allowing them to synch up
The original prototype had heavy padding, which meant that the digital character was often surrounded by a strange halo effect
A thinner version of the prototype lessened the halo effect
The character can be seen from all angles and will carry on simple conversations through speech recognition and speech synthesis
Article Summary
Different Dimension Inc., a Japanese start-up company, will begin marketing an Augmented Reality robot doll that can take on the appearance of any virtual character. Essentially, a computer-generated image is projected in real-time onto a robot (covered in green screen material) that is viewable through a head-mounted display (HMD). It's a spin-off of a bizarre research project led by Michihiko Shoji at the Yokohama National University and the Japan Science and Technology Agency, originally developed in 2006.
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