Metaverse minus the headset: A deeper look at Lenovo’s Project Chronos

As anticipated, there was loads of metaverse-related exercise at CES 2023, with the highest-profile launch being HTC’s new flagship VIVE XR Elite VR/AR headset. There was additionally an intriguing announcement from Lenovo — Project Chronos, a camera-based full physique motion-capture system that means that you can animate an avatar within the metaverse with out the necessity for a headset or different wearable sensors. 

Additionally: Apple’s VR/AR headset is coming. Here’s everything we know so far

Particulars on Challenge Chronos, which remains to be very a lot a piece in progress, have been restricted, so ZDNET caught up with Sanjeev Menon, vp and normal supervisor of the Desktop Enterprise Section at Lenovo, by way of electronic mail after the present to seek out out extra. 

Why do you suppose related motion-control applied sciences have failed to realize widespread traction?   

Pure motion-capture applied sciences are both marker-based utilizing body-tracking sensors or markerless-based utilizing cameras. Deployments of the latter have sometimes been restricted both by complicated setup necessities or poor person expertise on account of low accuracy and excessive latency. 

With the fast evolution of {hardware} expertise and AI, Challenge Chronos can push the boundaries to allow close to real-time movement seize, permitting new ranges of freedom for folks to work together and have interaction inside digital areas. To that finish, we additionally did not wish to confine its use to just one state of affairs, however reasonably energy a number of use circumstances throughout totally different elements of shoppers’ lives.  

Whether or not used for content material creation, social gaming, dwell broadcasting, health exercises or one thing else completely, the Challenge Chronos idea is purpose-built to empower a brand new stage of freedom for many who frequent digital areas or those that want to new applied sciences to have interaction with others. 

What was the impetus for Lenovo to maneuver wearable-free movement management past gaming and into the metaverse with Challenge Chronos?  

With Challenge Chronos, we’re creating a brand new gateway to the metaverse for folks to expertise all forms of 3D digital areas in a brand new approach. Since it’s a wearable-free expertise that mimics one’s pure actions with lifelike avatars, it supplies customers with an unconventional, immersive expertise.  

Whether or not used for digital health, vlogging, gaming, digital walkthrough, etcetera, our idea will allow folks to seamlessly swap between digital worlds, and a wealthy catalog of choices opens the chances to sooner person adoption. 

Is the shape issue and specification of the Chronos unit finalized, or are additional refinements seemingly?   

We’ll proceed to refine the shape issue and specs primarily based on person expertise research. We can even work with content material creators and builders to drive the most effective match to energy the brand new state of affairs experiences. 

Why are there solely DisplayPort and Mini-DisplayPort connections on the present Chronos unit? Why not HDMI, too?   

Because the Challenge Chronos base unit is designed to be paired with an exterior show, like a large-format monitor or TV, we plan to offer a number of video connectivity choices together with DisplayPort, Mini-DP and HDMI. In the end, we’ll optimize the I/O ports and specs for the most effective person expertise primarily based on person insights and market realities. 

Additionally, why is a handheld distant management required? Certainly any person interplay with the Chronos unit might be by way of gestures… 

By incorporating a handheld distant management with the system, we’re giving customers the choice to change between body-driven management and a extra stationary interplay inside digital environments when most well-liked.

We would like Challenge Chronos to be as versatile as attainable, in order that it could actually meet a large number of wants and use circumstances. A distant management supplies the agility, and infrequently comfort, wanted to accommodate that. As we construct out our content material companion ecosystem, the distant can even give us extra choices to permit for compatibility throughout a higher variety of apps the place full-body motion could solely be acknowledged in elements of the applying.

How good is the monitoring of facial features and eye motion in Challenge Chronos? Is extra improvement wanted right here?  

Challenge Chronos can monitor facial expressions together with the person’s micro facial features, eye motion, and mouth motion. We have achieved this via the adoption of 3D Level Cloud expertise that captures greater than 50+ lively items round an individual’s face. It is a powerful expertise that we’re excited to proceed exploring on this proof-of-concept stage.

Which Challenge Chronos use circumstances are prone to have most enchantment? 

We aren’t positioning Challenge Chronos as a gaming resolution presently, however see numerous potential in all its supposed use circumstances. Nonetheless, I actually suppose individuals who presently use motion-capture fits or different wearable units to manage their digital avatars within the VTuber area will gravitate to this expertise due to the liberty it supplies. Challenge Chronos will allow these performers and broadcasters to precise themselves via physique motion and facial features that hasn’t been attainable with out wearable movement sensors of some type.

Health is one other space that I believe folks will see its enchantment. The power for an individual in Spain, for instance, to take a yoga class with an teacher in Thailand, obtain their speedy suggestions on kind and posture, and be capable of emulate what the trainer is doing as in the event that they’re standing proper in entrance of them is highly effective, particularly when you think about that each people can get pleasure from that have in a lovely digital surroundings with none further AR/VR tools weighing them down.

Additionally: Meetings in the metaverse: Our experience with HTC Vive Sync

We additionally see different situations like social chatting or conferences being common, the place folks can leverage Challenge Chronos to work together not solely with one another ‘in individual’ within the digital world, however with 3D objects, as effectively. So, two architects or product designers might meet up and current their creation as a 3D hologram that they will each see in a extra immersive approach, eradicating the limitations of time and area.

What is going to the Challenge Chronos software program ecosystem appear like? Will I be capable of take my Lenovo avatar right into a digital world created by Meta, Microsoft, Google, HTC, or whoever? The place is Lenovo on the walled backyard/open system continuum? 

The metaverse is evolving at an unbelievable tempo as extra customers and experiences come on-line day by day. By merging gaming, media, dwell occasions and social media into a brand new type of interactivity that blends digital and bodily, the metaverse is rewriting the principles of the patron financial system.

As such, so too should our expertise evolve to adequately resolve the wants of its customers. To supply our clients the most effective person expertise, cross-device and platform collaboration is required within the AR/VR area, simply as it’s in different tech areas, and that is what we’re working towards reaching as we proceed to fulfill with content material creators, builders and repair suppliers to develop on this ecosystem and launch an answer that provides that digital freedom.

The imaginative and prescient we’re creating via Challenge Chronos is an open 3D ecosystem the place customers can take their full-body avatar to any digital world within the metaverse and be capable of management it by way of pure interplay and physique motion with out the necessity for glasses or mocap wearables. That is why we’re positioning Challenge Chronos as a gateway to 3D digital worlds, not solely from the {hardware} functionality perspective, but additionally from the open ecosystem perspective.

When will the subsequent iteration of Challenge Chronos be demonstrated after CES 2023?   

We’re finalizing future demonstrations of Challenge Chronos and can announce the subsequent iteration as soon as it’s out there.

When will we get a sign of the ultimate product identify, launch date, and pricing? 

The ecosystem remains to be below improvement, and we are going to announce its remaining identify, launch date, and pricing when it’s additional alongside in its launch preparation.

Lenovo Challenge Chronos specs

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