In the “what technologies will they mashup next” category, news comes to us from Japan via RobotWatch via Pink Tentacle that researchers at Yokohama National University Venture Business Laboratory have created a “green-screen” humanoid robot, upon which one can project your favorite humanoid avatar. Thus, while wearing a special head-mounted display, the user has the opportunity to physically interact with a virtual character.
If this sounds confusing, I’d suggest this English subtitled video. [Youtube]
According to Pink Tentacle, researcher Michihiko Shoji, formerly of NTT DoCoMo, helped create U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi as a tool for enhancing virtual reality simulations. He is now employed at the Yokohama National University Venture Business Laboratory, where he continues to work on improving the virtual humanoid. The system, which currently requires a lot of bulky and expensive equipment to run, will likely see its first real-world applications in arcade-style video games. However, Shoji also sees a potential market for personal virtual humanoids, and is looking at ways to reduce the size and cost to make it suitable for general household use.
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