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 Undertaking Chronos, which remains to be very a lot a piece in progress, had been restricted, so ZDNET caught up with Sanjeev Menon, vice chairman and basic supervisor of the Desktop Enterprise Phase at Lenovo, by way of electronic mail after the present to search 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 advanced setup necessities or poor consumer expertise attributable to low accuracy and excessive latency. 

With the speedy evolution of {hardware} know-how and AI, Undertaking Chronos can push the boundaries to allow close to real-time movement seize, permitting new ranges of freedom for folks to work together and interact inside digital areas. To that finish, we additionally did not need to confine its use to just one state of affairs, however slightly energy a number of use circumstances throughout totally different features of shoppers’ lives.  

Whether or not used for content material creation, social gaming, reside broadcasting, health exercises or one thing else totally, the Undertaking Chronos idea is purpose-built to empower a brand new stage of freedom for many who frequent digital areas or those that wish 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 Undertaking Chronos?  

With Undertaking Chronos, we’re creating a brand new gateway to the metaverse for folks to expertise all kinds of 3D digital areas in a brand new manner. Since it’s a wearable-free expertise that mimics one’s pure actions with lifelike avatars, it gives 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 change between digital worlds, and a wealthy catalog of choices opens the chances to sooner consumer adoption. 

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

We’ll proceed to refine the shape issue and specs primarily based on consumer 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 Undertaking 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 consumer expertise primarily based on consumer insights and market realities. 

Additionally, why is a handheld distant management required? Certainly any consumer 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 popular.

We wish Undertaking Chronos to be as versatile as attainable, in order that it may meet a mess of wants and use circumstances. A distant management gives the agility, and infrequently comfort, wanted to accommodate that. As we construct out our content material associate 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 features of the appliance.

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

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

Which Undertaking Chronos use circumstances are more likely to have most enchantment? 

We’re not positioning Undertaking Chronos as a gaming resolution at present, however see a variety of potential in all its supposed use circumstances. Nonetheless, I actually suppose individuals who at present use motion-capture fits or different wearable gadgets to manage their digital avatars within the VTuber area will gravitate to this know-how due to the liberty it gives. Undertaking 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 kind.

Health is one other space that I feel 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 instant suggestions on type 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 take pleasure in that have in a good looking digital setting with none extra AR/VR gear 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 Undertaking 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 manner, eradicating the boundaries of time and area.

What is going to the Undertaking 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 unimaginable tempo as extra customers and experiences come on-line day-after-day. By merging gaming, media, reside 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 know-how evolve to adequately remedy the wants of its customers. To supply our clients the most effective consumer 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 attaining as we proceed to satisfy with content material creators, builders and repair suppliers to develop on this ecosystem and launch an answer that gives that digital freedom.

The imaginative and prescient we’re creating via Undertaking 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 Undertaking 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 following iteration of Undertaking Chronos be demonstrated after CES 2023?   

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

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

The ecosystem remains to be beneath growth, and we’ll announce its closing title, launch date, and pricing when it’s additional alongside in its launch preparation.

Lenovo Undertaking Chronos specs

RECENT AND RELATED CONTENT 

What is the metaverse, and who will build it? 

The metaverse’s biggest unknown: Where we go from here 

He coined the term ‘metaverse.’ Now, Neal Stephenson wants to make something of it

Meetings in the metaverse: Our experience with HTC Vive Sync 

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

HTC’s VIVE XR Elite aims to be the new all-in-one, premium headset for everyone 

Meta Quest Pro is all work and no play (for now)