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The Invisible Train

Posted by Zonk on from the make-it-invisible-and-it's-automatically-better dept.

Digital_Quartz writes "Students at the Vienna University of Technology have come up with an augmented reality game in which players control virtual trains on a real wooden track. Players can adjust railway switches, and must prevent the trains from colliding. The catch is, of course, that the trains don't exist; they are viewed and controlled using networked PDAs with cameras. The system is based on the custom Studierstube framework for creating augmented reality applications for handhelds."

11 comments

  1. On the right track.. by everyplace · · Score: 2, Funny

    But how are they going to train people to use this? Oh wait...

  2. Thank God for Virtual Trains by SirBruce · · Score: 0, Redundant

    If they didn't have then virtual trains, they wouldn't have gotten the idea for the big trains!

    1. Re:Thank God for Virtual Trains by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What, was that comment so retarded that you just had to post it twice?

  3. Thank God for Virtual Trains by SirBruce · · Score: 0, Redundant

    If they didn't have the virtual trains, they wouldn't have gotten the idea for the big trains!

  4. glitch? by Lust · · Score: 1

    Anyone notice that the right-most switches in this image are not synchronized between the two PDAs? Oops. Maybe I'm being picky...but if you're going to kludge a photo-op, get it right! :)

    1. Re:glitch? by phantomas · · Score: 1
      well observed ;)

      Everyone who's ever attempted to take a decent photograph of a handheld's (or mobile phone's) display knows that it's next to impossible to get acceptable color and contrast. (check out our original photo: http://studierstube.org/invisible_train/images/inv isible_train_01_low_contrast.jpg) . So I just pasted in screenshots acquired directly from the PDAs' framebuffers. But apparently, I screwed up ;) I'm not going to fix it, though -- most people won't notice anyways.

    2. Re:glitch? by Lust · · Score: 1

      That's hilarious...thanks for the follow-up. I totally understand ;)

  5. This was at Siggraph by spitzak · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This was on display in the "Emerging Technologies" display at Siggraph in August 2004 in Los Angeles. The display was quite popular, though I did not try it. But a lot of people should have more to say about it than I have seen here so far...

  6. Brio by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Looks like Brio tracks, I did not know
    they still made those.

  7. Cool by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 2, Informative
    Cool stuff. Here's a direct link to the video on the website showing the tech off. Good video, and the brunette girl Karin is really hot.

    --
    Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
    1. Re:Cool by kyrah · · Score: 1

      Name's kyrah :p