The clandestine augmented/virtual reality start-up Magic Leap has teamed up with LucasFilm to bring Star Wars droids into your home.
The ‘mixed reality’ experiment with the ILMxLab shows R2-D2 and C-3PO roaming around a living room, navigating furniture and then projecting a battle scene onto a table.
The project was shown off at the Wired Business Conference in New York.
“Might I have a word with you please?” C-3PO says as he moves towards the camera, seemingly as if he’s in the room.
“I regret to report that due to unforeseen circumstances, we have not yet reached the desired arrangement with Jabba the Hutt regarding Captain Solo’s debt,” he adds.
Related: 5 bits of Star Wars tech that are actually happening
The lifelike computer-generated 3D holograms of the world’s most famous droids were beamed using Magic Leap’s largely unknown tech. The source of the holograms remains unknown, but the scene was shot on a standard digital camera.
Apparently “no special effects or compositioning were used” to the experience you’ll see in the mesmerising video below.
“We’ve been testing these experiential story moments,” said Lucasfilm’s Rob Bredow, “trying to make mixed reality not a novelty but something filmmakers can actually use.”
Now if only Magic Leap will tell us what exactly it is working on and when it plans to bring it to market…
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
