By this point, only those who have been living under a rock will fail to appreciate just what a huge deal Star Wars is. The franchise has also been at the forefront of technology, with the original trilogy developing many special effects techniques. This tradition continues with the involvement of Star Wars with augmented reality (AR), such as what has been suggested by the discovery of a new patent application by Disney.
A patent filed by Disney Enterprises teases Star Wars fans with the possibility of some new additions to AR Star Wars experiences, such as an expansion of the already available Jedi Challenges game.
The patent is titled ‘Augmented Reality Interactive Experience’ and describes a system that uses a network application that runs on both a computer and a head-mounted display (HMD) as well as infrared-based peripherals. There is also mention of an ‘AR Venue’ in which the experience would occur.
Players would use IR peripherals such as a lightsaber-like sword or a blaster, complete with cameras capable of picking up the signals contained in the headset. The software that runs the experience keeps track of player position and the hits from the IR devices. On the surface, somewhat similar to a game of LaserQuest, only in AR with a Star Wars flavour.
The patent also describes how an implementation of this technology could use a smartphone as the computer hosting the experience, or a smartphone can be used as a display or IR detector, similar to AR shooter Father.IO.
Experts have speculated that the ‘AR venue’ could refer to a location-based AR experience, such as Disney’s Star Wars theme parks. Alternatively, it could be used as an expansion or sequel to Jedi Challenges, implementing technology such as ARKit or ARCore for surface tracking.
For further news on this technology and new AR projects, videogames and services, keep checking back with VRFocus.