A new mixed reality experience from Disney called Magic Bench is creating waves in the industry this week.
Developed by Disney’s Pittsburgh R&D team, Magic Bench offers augmented reality without the need for any kind of headset or other peripherals.
Participants are not only able to see the computer-generated characters, they can feel them through environmental haptic feedback processors that are mounted on the bottom of the bench. The bench also acts as a good optical target for depth tracking.
The avoidance of user-operated hardware means groups can enjoy and experience the Magic Bench together in real-time, a pioneering move for the industry.
The technology has been created using elements of Microsoft Kinect. You can download a paper containing all the details from the Disney Research website.
