Imagine yourself, walking down a street in Paris in the evening, while enjoying some street music. You snap your finger, and a thin semi-transparent holographic menu pops out from nowhere and hovers in the middle of the air – you now get to choose to save scenery to your hard drive, or bookmark your current location. NAU is currently developing virtual-reality pod. Step inside and you’ll be enveloped by a 360° display screen and full surround sound. Imagine some scene from Minority Report – where you could grab and pull virtual objects with your bare hands. Videogame players will immediately recognize the Cocoon’s gaming potential. The motion-tracking cameras and wrap-around visuals could make for an incredibly realistic gaming experience, where you use your whole body to fight off enemies who approach from all directions. NAU hopes to complete its prototype Cocoon by October 2009, with models commercially available by 2014. [CNN]
