Microsoft's New Spatial Augmented Reality System Allows Interaction With 3D Virtual Objects

In the past few days, we saw some interesting projects from Microsoft Research. This new project is called Mano-a-Mano which is a unique spatial augmented reality system that allows users to interact with 3D virtual objects. Watch the video above, it will blow your mind. Even though these technologies are years away from reaching consumer’s hands, it provides us the glimpse of the future.

Project Description:

Mano-a-Mano is a unique spatial augmented reality system that combines dynamic projection mapping, multiple perspective views and device-less interaction to support face to face, or dyadic, interaction with 3D virtual objects. Its main advantage over more traditional AR approaches, such as handheld devices with composited graphics or seethrough head worn displays, is that users are able to interact with 3D virtual objects and each other without cumbersome devices that obstruct face to face interaction. We detail our prototype system and a number of interactive experiences. We present an initial user experiment that shows that participants are able to deduce the size and distance of a virtual projected object. A second experiment shows that participants are able to infer which of a number of targets the other user indicates by pointing.

Source: Microsoft