Leap Motion, an American hardware manufacturer specialising in immersive technology, have released concept footage of their plans to merge the features of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). The concept has been named “Mirrorworlds”. Mirrorworlds are “alternative dimensions of reality, layered over the physical world”. The user’s physical environment will be integrated into a virtual world. Real world furniture and other physical objects, including people, will be layered over to create a new environment. “Think Frodo when he puts on the One Ring, or the Upside Down in Stranger Things” – Keiichi Matsuda, Leap Motion VP of Design.
As of now, Mirrorworlds is still a conceptual idea, but this is the direction that many believe immersive technology is headed. “In this future, we will be constantly moving between worlds, shifting between perspectives, changing the rules of reality to suit our purposes. We will be able to fluidly and intuitively navigate, build and modify our environments, creating spaces where physically present people and objects intersect seamlessly with their virtual counterparts. We will look back on the current era and try to remember what it was like being trapped in one place, in one body, obsessed with devices and squinting at our tiny screens.”
The blending of AR and VR will allow for a high level of immersion without completely removing the user from their environment. You will still be able to navigate around your current space, sit on a chair, pick up an object and interact with other people in your environment. So far, Leap Motion has only released some concept footage and images for Mirrorworlds. However, they remain optimistic about the likeliness of this technology becoming a reality.
“This future is closer than you might think. It’s largely possible on today’s hardware, and now the limitations are less about technical constraints, and more in our ability to conceptualise, structure and prioritise the aspects of the world we want to build. That’s the brief we’ve been working on at Leap Motion Design Research. As we continue to build this framework, we’ll be exploring all facets of virtuality, from its materials to its grammar and spatial logic. We are working to carve out a robust, believable and honest vision of a world elevated by technology, with people (and their hands) at the centre.” – Leap Motion Blog.