For this week’s review of the student’s choice, I am going to review Microsoft Dreamwalker. This Tech stood out to me because of how unique the VR experience is. For many virtual reality hardware, it requires a camera to be placed somewhere where you will be using the device. Because of this, you are then restricted to the confined space. This also means that the software also has to be developed with these restrictions. When the user uses this kind of VR tech they have the tendency to run into a wall, hit things with their controllers and as well as trip over or fall down because they do not know the environment around them.
With the Dream walker tech, however, this can easily change all that. What this technology does is that it is a VR system that allows the user to walk in a “real world” 3D environment. How this is done is by tracking the user reallocation via a GPS location. It then calculates a walkable path the user can take as well as any obstacles that is in front of the user in real-time. It will then dynamically change the VR scene so that it can redirect the user when need be. What this means is that if the user is walking down the city, the VR tech will create 3d objects that are similar to what is around them. If there’s a building, it will show as a wall or building. If there are people walking around them, Microsoft's Dreamwalker will create objects that represent those people all in real-time.
The good thing about this hardware is that it is a creative idea. I think that I think would be cool for this tech is for exercise. Instead of having a boring run at a park, the city or around your neighborhood can be something a lot more exciting. The user can be running in a fantasy setting like running around Middle-earth from Lord of the rings or Running around the common grounds at Hogwarts from Harry Potter. Places like these could be really cool to run around.
This can also be used for gaming that requires you to go outside. Games like Pokemon Go would be perfect for this kind of technology. Since this requires your phone to know where your GEO location is, you can catch Pokemon in the real world and it will fully feel like you are in the game.
Lastly, this can be used for educational purposes. Imagine putting on this kind of tech while on one of the tour buses in Chicago or while on a battlefield during World War 2. It can play a “live” event such as a battle happening in front of tourists’ eyes. It can also show them how the world was like back in the 1900s or during the 1800s. This can show how it felt to be in the world during that time. This will make learning more fun and interesting than any book or realistic display ever can.
The Bad thing about this tech right now is that it looks uncomfortable to wear. The user has to wear a headset as well as a backpack and have their phone attached to it. It may not be bad to wear it for 10 mins, but the more the users has the equipment on them, the heavier and awkward it will feel. Hopefully, in the future, the can change this by make it so that the user only needs to wear a lighter headset and doesn’t need the backpack in order to use it. It also looks very weird when walking around with all that hardware on you so limited this tech to just a headset would be for the best.
As of right now this tech is still in the testing phase and what we are seeing right now is the prototype. Once it is fully done and Microsoft releases it, I feel that it can slowly become an industry standard. VR hardware like the VIVE and the Oculus Rift can use false this kind of technology. By adding a camera to these devices, you can then have it where when the user is active in the device, it will be used as a safety protocol. When a user walks into a room, it can have a 3d model pop up, showing the active user where that other person is. This means that there won’t be any accidents when using the VR device. This can also be said for walls and other obstacles like a chair or table and the user can see them while in the virtual world.