Remember IllumiRoom, the "peripheral projected illusion" system Microsoft presented at the Samsung CES 2013 keynote? The company now beams further details with a new demo video and a CHI 2013 paper.
Microsoft Research describes IllumiRoom as "a proof-of-concept system that augments the area surrounding a television with projected visualizations to enhance traditional gaming experiences." As seen at CES 2013 and the latest video linked below (both supposedly involving no post-production or compositing) the system combines a Kinect and a wide field-of-view projector to project different illusions on a living room wall according to video content.
The Kinect captures room geometry and colours before the projector calibrates visuals according to in-room furniture and lighting via "radiometric compensation." The system creates a variety of different illusions, such as content extension, edge highlighting and specific element highlighting, as well as room colour saturation, radial wobble (makes the room "shake") and grid/snow/starfield visuals.
What is truly surprising in the videos is the level of polish, which is fairly high considering the company insists the project is mere "proof-of-concept." The most recent demo even has existing software titles and traditional video content enhanced with panoramic projections.
Will IllumiRoom prove to be the Microsoft secret weapon in the next-gen console war? Perhaps, even if the researchers tell Engadget the technology might not have a public demo until July 2013 at SIGGRAPH 2013. But expect to learn more following either the new Xbox reveal event (21 May 2013) or June's E3 2013.
Watch IllumiRoom: Peripheral Projected Illusions for Interactive Experiences
Go Microsoft Says IllumiRoom Isn't Yet Ready for Next Xbox, but Will Get Public Demo in July (Engadget)