Jun Rekimoto is planning a future in which sports lovers will be able to enjoy the game through players by experiencing the feeling and sights on the field while enjoying the comfort of home. Using cameras, sensors and drones, the person who is currently studying augmented reality at Sony Computer Science Labs is trying to capture and share what someone else is feeling or seeing. This idea or theme first came into spotlight in William Gibson’s science fiction novel “Neuromancer”. Taking idea from this novel, Rekimoto is now trying to use them in modern technology.
“I wanted to extend this concept, that we can immersively connect to other humans or drones,” that’s what Jun Rekimoto, the deputy director of research at Sony Computer Science Laboratories said after outlining some of his work related to this area at the lab’s research symposium in the US. He is working on a headset with a team in one of his project called LiveSphere which contains six cameras and can capture 360 degrees around the wearer. Rekimoto believes this headset combined with audio instructions from a person who is watching remotely can help the wearer to get guidance on medical or cooking procedures. “The resulting image is quite exciting,” that’s how Rekimoto described one of his tests. The researchers are also working on a way to add the feeling ability into LiveSphere by using a “tactile device,”
Augmented reality technologies have been here for quite a while now but it’s getting used in a lot of product recently starting from the gaming-oriented Oculus to Sony’s Morpheus. If used properly, these products using AR technology can bring a real change in the way people play games, watch movies or our method of communication. Rekimoto is also working on another project called Flying Head which can follow your movement using a drone. It can help athletes to measure their style and form when practicing and help people to inspect areas that can be dangerous for people to visit. The event where Rekimoto outlined some of his work was held in Manhattan’s Museum of Modern Art last month.