Disney's Magic Bench lets you play with Augmented Reality characters

Disney Research has created a "Magic Bench" that lets you interact with all kinds of funny animated animals using Augmented Reality. Welcome to the future!

Augmented reality uses a technique in which computer generated images (CGI) are placed in the real world. But unlike most augmented reality or virtual reality implementations, the Magic Bench lets you meet the friendly digital animals without having to put on a VR headset or any other handheld device. This makes it also possible to enjoy augmented reality with friends.

See the bench in action in the video below:

People sitting on the bench see a mirrored image on a large TV screen in front of them. The display is equipped with an RGB camera and a depth sensor making a 3D image of the people sitting on the bench. The system 'knows' exactly how deeply the animation should be displayed. Move your hand before or behind the animals and the same will happen on the screen. Users can not only see and hear the funny characters, but also feel them through haptic feedback. Four small vibrators underneath the bench trigger vibrations to give users the sensation that the animals are really present.

As shown in the video, it is possible to interact with the animated characters. This guy receives a ball from an elephant.

More info:
https://www.disneyresearch.com/publication/magic-bench/

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