Head mounted display technology has become pretty adept at immersing us as observers in virtual worlds. We really feel as if we are standing in that imaginary space, looking at events and objects that seem so real that you can reach out and touch them. If you did try to touch them however, you would … Continue reading The Leap Motion: Putting you into the virtual world
When the Nintendo Wii video game console was released in 2006 it ushered in a new paradigm for video game interfaces. To many even the humble gamepad represents a complex control system abstracted from what’s happening on-screen. If you grew up with a gamepad in your hands this isn’t something that seems to be an … Continue reading The Microsoft Kinect
TrackIR is an optical motion tracking device that used an infrared (IR) camera to track head motion manufactured by NaturalPoint. The user wears a hat or other rigid structure on the head with dots that reflect infrared light. These are used as reference points to generate motion data for the software. With the correct configuration … Continue reading TrackIR
Our smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices are pretty ordinary looking from the outside, but on the inside they are packed with tiny, sophisticated sensors. The three most likely to be in your average device are magnetometers, accelerometers and gyroscopes. These devices have also been essential for the development of modern consumer virtual reality, as … Continue reading Understanding Sensors: Magnetometers, Accelerometers and Gyroscopes
