Beyond 'Pokémon Go': Future Games Could Interact with Real Objects

The augmented-reality game "Pokémon Go" may be the hottest thing in mobile gaming right now, but new advances in computer science could give players an even more realistic experience in the future, according to a new study. In fact, researchers say a new imaging technique could help make imaginary characters, such as Pokémon, appear to convincingly interact with real objects.

A new imaging technique called Interactive Dynamic Video can take pictures of real objects and quickly create video simulations that people, or 3D models, can virtually interact with, the researchers said. In addition to fueling game development, these advances could help simulate how real bridges and buildings might respond to potentially disastrous situations, the researchers added.

The smartphone game "Pokémon Go" superimposes images onto the real world to create a mixed reality. The popularity of this game follows a decades-long trend of computer-generated imagery weaving its way into movies and TV shows. However, while 3D models that can move amid real surroundings on video screens are now commonplace, it remains a challenge getting computer-generated images to look as if they are interacting with real objects. Building 3D models of real items is expensive, and can be nearly impossible for many objects, the researchers said. [Beyond Gaming: 10 Other Fascinating Uses for Virtual-Reality Tech]

Now, Interactive Dynamic Video could bridge that gap, the researchers said.

"When I came up with and tested the technique, I was surprised that it worked quite so well," said study lead author Abe Davis, a computer scientist at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Analyzing movement

Using cameras, this new technique analyzes tiny, almost imperceptiblevibrations of an object. For instance, when it comes to curtains, "it turns out they are almost always moving, just from natural air currents in an indoor room," Davis told Live Science.

The distinct ways or "modes" in which an object vibrates help computers model how it might physically behave if an outside force were to interact with it. "Most objects can vibrate and move a certain amount without a permanent change to their shape," Davis said. "To give you an example, I can tap on a branch of a tree, and it might shake, but that's different from bending it until it snaps. We observe these kinds of motions, the kind that an object bounces back from to return to a resting state."