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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Sure, ASCII art is cool for making lewd gestures and the unicorn that you use for your e-mail signature, but couldn’t we be doing more with it? Well, some Russian artists / DIY’ers certainly think so, and as a result they’ve created an immersive system which allows you to view the world through the lens of real-time ASCII art (amongst other effects). The designers of this VR headset / live video-effects-unit were hoping to modify “real” reality for the user, thus creating a “virtual reality” experience via video effects (similar to Photoshop filters) in a stereoscopic viewer. The creators used a pair of goggles with a camera attached, a proprietary “black box” consisting of a CPU, battery, and radio transmitter, and custom-coded video processing modes (we assume, considering the box has no “operating system”). The result? Well, besides ASCII — which looks a bit like the Matrix numbers — you can do an effect akin to the Predator’s POV… though we’re pretty sure it won’t make you invisible, or a lethal, alien killer. Check the video after the break to see the psychedelic magic unfold.

[Via Slashdot]Continue reading VR goggles turn the real world into ASCII art

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Source: Joshua Topolsky

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Yeah, we’ve seen bizarre apparatuses that bring about otherworldly feelings, but new studies have reportedly been able to induce out-of-body experiences with just a set of “virtual reality goggles, a camera, and a stick.” Apparently, the “research reveals that the sense of having a body, of being in a bodily self, is actually constructed from multiple sensory streams,” and when the newfangled system forces individuals to peer at “an illusory image of themselves” while the stick prods them “in a certain way,” the guinea pigs said they felt as if they had been removed from their bodies. Of course, it seems the real purpose here circles more around the science of the brain rather than hashing out a DIY guide to accomplish this on your own, and no, so far as we can tell, it (unfortunately) does not play Doom.

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Sure, you get a pretty good workout on that regular treadmill, but don’t you think you could burn more calories if you had a little directional freedom? Well, thanks to the ridiculously clever people at Virtual Space Devices, you’re one step closer to breaking free of your staid workout — and one step closer to fully immersive virtual environments. The Michigan-based company has been developing an omni-directional treadmill since 1996, and they appear to have come up with a real solution — a self-contained unit which allows you to walk (or run) in any direction you choose, without actually covering any ground. Next up the company plans to manufacture a device called the iPlane, which will not only allow you to walk and run wherever you want, but fly as well, which should make future iterations of Doom really, really interesting. Watch the video after the break and be stunned and amazed.

[Via Digg]Continue reading Omni-directional treadmill could put you in the game

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Source: Joshua Topolsky

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