An augmented reality robot that adds life to virtual characters could be commercialised after being taken on by Japanese start-up, Different Dimension. The solution was originally called U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi and developed in 2006 by Michihiko Shoji, a researcher at NTT DoCoMo Labs and then Yokohama National University. The "mixed reality" system synchronises a robot, covered in green-screen material, and a virtual avatar, which is viewed as an interactive figure through a head mounted display (HMD).
The robot is controlled by a force-feedback system that provides realistic physical interaction for the user.
Potential applications for the solution could include very realistic, immersive telepresence solutions.