Disney Research scientists are at it again, this time showing off how they catch a real ball in virtual reality. Recently these same team of Disney Research scientists showed off their ubiquitous wireless power transfer system. That was pretty awesome in itself, but watching the video below showing them catching a real ball in virtual reality is just awesome. I think we all know just how complex catching a ball can be. It involves many different senses and reactions that happen almost instantly.
“Catching and feeling the real ball in your hand makes virtual reality much richer, more believable, more exciting, more interactive, more dynamic, more real,” said Günter Niemeyer, senior research scientist.
“As virtual reality systems become increasingly common, the idea that the user experience can be enriched by enabling dynamic interaction with real objects is gaining interest,” said Markus Gross, vice president for research at Disney Research. “This early work by our team is tantalizing and suggests that bridging the virtual and real worlds is not only possible, but offers many new opportunities and benefits.”
“With VR, we can show you the future by pre-rendering where the ball is going to be,” Niemeyer said. “For some types of interactions, game designers might choose to take advantage of VR to make certain tasks easier, just as using a net to catch balls might make some games more enjoyable.”
It’s pretty amazing just how far virtual reality has come and it’s awesome to watch it grow like this. We’re excited to see the continued research from Disney as well as other companies exploring the space.
What do you think of Disney Research scientists catching a real ball in virtual reality? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
[button link=”https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/dr-uvr032017.php” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Eureka Alert[/button][button link=”https://www.disneyresearch.com/publication/catching-a-real-ball-in-virtual-reality/” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Disney Research[/button]