Share this article
Latest news
With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low
Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app
Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities
Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount
Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier
This Microsoft Research project uses Kinect to project a life-size person on a chair
2 min. read
Published onJanuary 19, 2016
published onJanuary 19, 2016
Share this article
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more
Remember Kingsmen? That scene where Gallahad and Arthur sat down, put on their hip glasses, and the other members magically showed up as holograms perfectly seated at the table? Microsoft Research, it seems, is intent on turning scenes like that into reality with their newest augmented reality project, albeit with a difference: you don’t have to wear anything, reportsTechnology Review.
CalledRoom2Room, the new project from Microsoft research uses Kinect combined with digital projectors (rather literally, as seen from the image), to project a life-sized image of a person on a piece of furniture from a 3-D image captured in another room. This means that 2 people can see the image of the others sitting across them, doing normal conversation.
The tech works a bit different from Microsoft’s other innovative augmented reality project, HoloLens, in that there is no need for a specialized head gear; the projection is instead visible to everyone, which you can probably guess from the involvement of the digital projector. Unfortunately, this also means that the projected version is less like your floating 3-D objects in Microsoft HoloLens ads, and more like a life-sized, flat PowerPoint presentation of your conversation partner. Maybe it will look better directly from the front.
The low resolution of the projection is also mentioned as a current problem, making it hard to discern the projected person’s line of vision: testing was done to show that collaborated works with this system takes almost twice as long as face-to-face conversation because of this; it still managed to be faster than working through Skype however. The required equipment is also bulky and can be hard to set up.
It’s clear that Microsoft Research, and Microsoft in general, still has a ways to go before these augment reality projects can be widely adopted. Nevertheless, it once again shows the power and versatility of Microsoft’s Kinect technology, and makes another good case for the upcoming HoloLens. With Microsoft the only current player in the augmented reality market (if we’re not counting the ever-elusiveMagic Leap,) the company seems to have finally found its “next big thing”, and we can’t wait to see its advancement in the future.
Radu Tyrsina
Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).
For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.
Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.
User forum
0 messages
Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes
Comment*
Name*
Email*
Commenting as.Not you?
Save information for future comments
Comment
Δ
Radu Tyrsina
