A man in Japan has built a partner using virtual reality goggles and motion-tracking hardware.

By wearing the goggles it is possible to see his significant other, a Japanese anime character called Hatsune Miku, walking through the real world as well as casting a shadow and interacting with real-world objects. Miku will respond to basic commands such as coming when beckoned or to being patted on the head.

The technology behind it all is undoubtedly impressive however it seems unlikely that the widespread adoption of a 'virtual girlfriend' is likely to happen any time soon.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9jpWiTVR0GA



I'm sorry but unless there is some sort of biofeedback I don't see this taking off quite yet. BUT it is just like Jim was writing about in his book.

i hear that the gorillaz were going to do something similar to the Hatsune show.

Also, doesn't the military have this type of set up by now? They should by now have overlays on the battlefield.

I can see this tech being used for much more then virtual porn.

The idea of a nano cloud that is hooked up to you personally and can manifest sort of helper avatars is along these lines. I could see having avatars overlayed in the virtual space in place of phones. You could basically called up your helper ask it questions or give it tasks to perform.