Bird Box is a post-apocalyptic movie exclusively released on Netflix. In this movie, a family has to go on a boat journey completely blindfolded to avoid getting killed by a monster. The monster captures people through their eyesight. This concept became viral recently and people started blindfolding themselves in real life to perform everyday tasks. Recently, Netflix issued a warningon Twitter regarding the Bird Box challenge as people are taking it to the next level by challenging others to try things blindfolded leading to accidents and injuries. Recently, The Holo Herald mixed reality community took the Bird Box challenge in their own way. They demonstrated how Microsoft HoloLens can save you from Bird Box type situation.
HoloLens comes with a technology called Spatial mapping which provides a detailed representation of real-world surfaces in the environment. This allows developers to create applications merging the real world with the virtual world. For example, developers can use this Spatial Mapping to place a hologram of a poster against a wall just like a physical poster. Also, they can make a holographic rubber ball roll realistically off a desk, bounce across the floor and disappear under the couch.
So now coming to the real story, The Holo Herald shows how the GATEWAY – Practical app which uses Spatial Mapping tech of HoloLens can help you navigate the real world blind folded. Using this app, one can rebuild their environment in mixed reality. All you have to do is to first scan the room and the app will store the environment. After the scan process is complete, you will only see a mesh like visual of your room. Later you can replace the physical objects like couch, table, etc with corresponding digital objects for more accurate representation of the real world. In a Bird Box type situation, HoloLens can be a real life saving tool! Check out the video demo embedded above for more details.