MoVR is a solution that was created to eliminate the tangle of cabling that still hinders the best virtual reality kits in this day and age.
The level of immersion that has been achieved in 2016 thanks to proposals by Oculus Rift or HTC Vive is astounding. For the first time, many users believe that virtual reality is no longer a promise, but has now become a reality. However, the supporting technology is far from achieving the maturity needed to reach a heightened comfort level. Proof of this is in the cables that accompany both systems, and which restrict certain freedom of movement. MIT has suggested eliminating this problem and has developed MoVR.
This system ensures that future kits will be wireless, but without any quality loss to graphics or increased latency, currently the enemy and Achilles heel to immersion, which is graphically unpleasant and can cause nausea. MoVR is based on millimetre waves (mmWave), which we expect to see triumph and expand with upcoming 5G networks. The main inconvenience is that with one hand movement, data transmission can weaken, resulting in a poor gaming experience.
The MIT team has designed devices that are capable of functioning like an intelligent mirror, such that by detecting body movements it is capable of directing the waves and configuring angle changes, to finally reach the receiving device. According to the head of the project, MoVR is still far from becoming a commercial alternative, as it is difficult to calculate the additional cost that its inclusion in the kits would represent, and because it is not yet an elegant solution, only functioning with two directional antenna that aren’t even close to achieving the desired invisibility.
Compared with other independent solutions, the future of MoVR is to eventually be integrated into kits such as Vive, in the sense that it is more viable than having to start work anew from the very beginning. Omid Abari, the research leader, states that initial contact has already been made with developers, who have shown interest in helping and collaborating in the future. Virtual reality is the future of gaming, and it requires the complete freedom that comes with a wireless experience.
