Sci-fi

To promote Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Disney and Lucasfilm released virtual porgs into the wilds of Snapchat via a Sponsored Lens on Sunday. The Lens placed a porg in your personal space via the rear-facing camera. Using the front-facing camera, the Lens also equipped users wi ...more

Fans of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man have yet another way to experience the web-slinger in augmented reality. To promote the pending release of Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 4, Sony Pictures has published a mobile app for iOS and Android that brings Spider-Man int ...more

In the last couple of days there's been a lot of speculation about the powers of Microsoft's HoloLens 2, but few have had a chance to get their hands on one to see if the company's claims live up to what HoloLens inventor Alex Kipman showed off on stage. Nevertheless, amid th ...more

What happens when a bunch of Bollywood filmmakers unleash their imagination with the aid of Maya and After Effects (plus lots and lots of paisas)? The sci-fi flick Enthiran (Robot), the most expensive Indian film ever produced. Non-stop action, violence, explosions... absolut ...more

In December 2009, Angry Birds was released to the public. The iPhone and iPod touch were the first to take on the demand, then a devoted HD version for the iPad. Since then, it's transcended iOS devices to appear on Android, Nokia, Palm phones, and many others. Next, it broke ...more

Remember, in the Terminator movies, when Arnold's field of vision is superimposed with all sorts of data? Sci-fi writer Vernor Vinge also described electronic contact lenses, technology that "projects" information right before the eyes. Introducing augmented reality contact l ...more

Augmented reality is expected to eventually change everything, and the prevailing view is that those changes will be for the better. The converse view, however, is that the technology will further erode privacy. A new Netflix film called Anon, starring Clive Owen and Amanda S ...more

I had the opportunity to speak with the COO of Osterhout Design Group, Pete Jameson, shortly before the announcement of the company's R-8 and R-9 smartglasses models at CES in January. And while I sadly could not make it to CES to test the smart specs out right away, ODG invit ...more

Almost half a year after we broke the story about the demise of Meta Company, there's good news for fans of the augmented reality startup — a rebirth is at hand. As we reported months ago, a new owner, called Meta View, is in control of Meta's assets, but now the new group is ...more

Two characters from the popular sci-fi animated comedy Rick and Morty have already made their way into augmented reality courtesy of ARKit experiments. Now, it's possible to become one of them on the iPhone X. Developer Michael Bramiage has created an Animoji-style version of ...more

We've been so worried about volumetric scans possibly robbing celebrities and performers of their agency and right to control their image that, somewhere along the way, we forgot that scans may not always be necessary to produce passable holographic performances. That's the d ...more

In the latest example of life imitating art, IBM has applied for a patent for a video censoring system that looks a lot like the "Arkangel" child monitoring system from the latest collection of modern sci-fi fables from Black Mirror on Netflix. For those who haven't seen the ...more

This is the first thing I have ever built for a weekly challenge. I am a big sci-fi fan so I just had to jump in on this one. Welcome to the Far Space Colonization Outpost. Mission: Establish a front line in the field of deep space exploration and research. You will be stati ...more

Remember the glowing pickle? Well, here's another sci-fi food-oddity. Sounds entirely fictitious, but apparently you can make edible lasers. Says Make, "A friend of mine claimed you can make a laser from a gin & tonic, and so I had to find out more. It turns out that not onl ...more

Around this time in 2016, the predictions for the next year had reached something of a consensus: 2017 would be the year of augmented reality. But a funny thing happened on the way to the future — nothing much, really. At least not for the first half of the year. It seemed cl ...more

Although the HoloLens is still primarily the domain of developers and researchers, the device is nevertheless on the cutting edge of showing us what will be possible with augmented reality in the coming years. The latest example comes via Microsoft Japan and a new concept vide ...more

Google Photos is one of the best photo management services out there. It allows you to back up an unlimited amount of high-quality images without ever paying a dime, the photos and videos sync flawlessly across all of your devices, and its neural network-powered visual search ...more

The mysterious technology product teased via an eccentric TED Talk nearly five years ago has finally been revealed, and it's called the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition. After all of the non-disclosure agreements, furtive comments from CEOs and insiders given early access to th ...more

Its amazing the access actors have to sets and what they could share with us if they took the time to document their experience. Sean Young has done just that, by sharing her Super-8 films from the making of the David Lynch Classic Sci-Fi Film - Dune. Shot in Mexico City in th ...more

Following in the augmented reality footsteps of Pokémon GO, Universal Studios has decided to give us an AR version of Jurassic World. The new game is called "Jurassic World Alive," and while the trailer for the game doesn't show any actual gameplay, the cinematic approach to ...more

When it comes to making smartglasses that look more like regular eyeglasses and less like sci-fi helmets, Corning International might be among the suppliers to make it happen. In a recently-released concept video, Corning demonstrates how its precision glass wafers and panels ...more

The Australian government has a dysfunctional history with video games. Any regular Yahtzee Croshaw follower can attest to that. The Parliament has established a series of unfortuante regulations that make games both highly taxed and overregulated in price. Bringing any goods ...more

Thanks to Microsoft’s XBOX 360 motion-detecting system, Kinect, the world is becoming a play place for sci-fi style virtual reality. One of the latest hacks demonstrates the next best thing to regular old air guitar... virtual reality air guitar: Artist Chris O'Shea explains h ...more

Kojiro the robot has muscles, tendons and a flexible spine- just like you! Combine Kojiro with the doppelganger bot and you'll have something supremely sci-fi freaky. Via IEEE Spectrum: "Kojiro is an advanced musculoskeletal humanoid robot under development at the University ...more

There may be questions from some about the future of Magic Leap, but in Japan, The Force is with the augmented reality startup. Japan's arm of fashion retailer H&M and Disney are using the device to promote a special promotion of customized Star Wars apparel. Don't Miss: Mag ...more

Regal Cinema's augmented reality magazine Moviebill enjoyed a big debut in April and it has its sights set on an even bigger (virtually) outing with its next edition. Arriving in Regal theaters on June 22, the second issue of the publication will feature Jurassic World: Falle ...more

One of the masters of science fiction, Neal Stephenson, may be on staff at Magic Leap, but that doesn't mean he can't take a moment to visit the halls of competitor Microsoft, the maker of the HoloLens. The author is currently promoting his new book Fall; or, Dodge in Hell, a ...more

NASA recently unveiled the ultimate sci-fi geek's transport dream: the Puffin, an electric vehicle that takes off like a helicopter and flies like a plane (at 140 mph). Did I mention "boost mode"? Hit that button, and this baby can speed up to nearly 300 mph. Still a concept- ...more

The concept of Metaverse, otherwise referred to as AR cloud, where a digital twin of the real world filled with virtual content anchored persistently for all to see, has been a sci-fi dream of futurists for years and an aim for most tech companies who are serious about AR. It ...more

Google has an intriguing feature called Nearby that lets users share content without being on the same Wi-Fi network, or without even exchanging contact info first. Instead, the function uses an array of standard smartphone features, as well as subsonic sound, to identify othe ...more

With the release of Object Capture this fall, Apple is giving everyone with a Mac and a camera the means to create their own 3D objects. But what about volumetric video, which currently requires multi-camera rigs like those at Microsoft's Mixed Reality Capture studios? One de ...more

In case you didn't already know, augmented reality is here. It's no longer just an idea in a cyberpunk novel. And while augmented reality has been around for a long time, the actual technology is finally catching up to the idea. On Tuesday, DAQRI, the creators of the Smart He ...more

Via WonderHowTo World, CAKES! CAKES! CAKES!: Martha Stewart Living Radio recently held a cupcake contest, and unfortunately the winner was NOT these Alexander McQueen cupcakes, by Julia Cunningham, DJ on SiriusXM U. The cupcakes feature the McQueen claw heels that Lady Gaga ...more

Apple's first AR wearable might not arrive until 2022, but we may have an early preview of what it will be like to wear a pair of its smartglasses via iOS 14. Clues found in the code for the next major version of Apple's mobile operating system point to an app with the codena ...more

Sticking with our theme of XBLA games with uninspiring names, we have Outland. This game shares its name with an unrelated sci-fi cult film from 1981, unrelated comic strip from the '90s, and unrelated region in World of Warcraft. Didn't exactly try hard to build name recognit ...more

Rodarte is an L.A. based fashion brand, headed by the Mulleavy sisters. Their pieces are known for their amazing materiality, gothic deconstruction, and beautifully ombréd fabric. The sisters have collaborated with Target, the Gap, outfitted many celebrities, and have been fea ...more

If you find yourself on the run from the Empire, you no longer need a droid to send a holographic distress message, you just need an iPhone X and the HoloBack app. Now available in the App Store, HoloBack uses the TrueDepth camera on the iPhone X to create instant 3D imagery ...more

More augmented reality fun (Rock Paper Scissors Tee, Video Game Drone) and another peak into our sci-fi future. Via New Scientist, "If only drivers could see through walls, blind corners and other dangerous road junctions would be much safer. Now an augmented reality system ...more

The emerging narrative as CES begins is that consumer-grade smartglasses require a heavy compromise in functionality in order to arrive at a form factor and price point that appeal to mainstream customers. China-based startup Nreal is ready to subvert those expectations with ...more

The developers at Immersion VR are clearly fans of both Apple's ARKit and Rick & Morty, as the company has shared its second demo in as many weeks of the augmented reality platform that is influenced by the animated sci-fi series. This time, the payoff is huge. Immersion VR b ...more

The hype for HBO's Game of Thrones reached proportions as epic as the series itself this week with the latest release of the final season's official trailer, but it's a Snapchat promotion that will truly make fans at SXSW bend the knee. Using what Snapchat calls AR Marker Tec ...more

After spending a good portion of 2017 teasing us with images and bits of news, Lenovo, in a partnership with Disney and Lucasfilm, has finally released its Mirage AR headset along with the Star Wars: Jedi Challenge game collection. Let me preface this hands-on experience by l ...more

Coming soon! Popsci reports that a multitouch skin that can make any surface a touchscreen will be released this summer. Portuguese company Displax will "market a multitouch capable, super-thin polymer "skin" that can be applied to any material -- flat, curved, opaque, transp ...more

Returning to the spotlight after its debut at last year's CES, augmented reality smartglasses maker Rokid is back with a new update. On Monday, the China-based startup announced Project Aurora at CES in Las Vegas. Rokid describes the new prototype hardware device as functioni ...more