Microsoft’s RoomAlive project can transform your room into a virtual playground

The new RoomAlive project by Microsoft can transform your room into Star Trek Holodeck.

People familiar with the Star Trek Holodeck know something like that was like a pipe dream for a long time, but Microsoft’s new ‘RoomAlive’ project can transform a living room into a something close to a Holodeck. The technology uses Kinect sensors and cameras to map out an augmented reality display in a room.

It can sense all the objects in the room and project the augmented reality on every surface, right from a sofa to a table. Microsoft made the announcement in a blog post. In short, it means that the player’s room will be the whole game map. Kinect cameras will be able to track a player’s movements and head position to project the objects with the correct perspective.

It is the sensor’s unique ability to adapt to any surrounding that is most intriguing. Players can “touch, shoot, stomp, dodge and steer.” The augmented reality project was developed with the help of Brett Jones and Rajinder Sodhi from Projection Mapping Central.

RoomAlive is based on Microsoft’s previous project called Illumiroom, which the company showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2013. While projection mapping is not a new technology – it is used in theme parks and immersive theaters – this is the first time this technology has been brought to home video gaming.

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