The science fiction series Star Trek once introduced the holodeck, where virtual worlds could be projected in an enclosed room on the spaceship. At ISPO MUNICH 2017 from February 5-8 this fantasy becomes reality when the HolodeckVR by Fraunhofer IIS is launched at the Willy Bogner booth 202 in hall B1. The HolodeckVR system consists of real-time tracking sensors, sensor fusion and calibration features combined with virtual reality goggles and virtual content. Its underlying patents enable a unique hall-scale multi-user virtual reality experience.

Walk freely on top of a winter panorama with a virtual 360-degree alpine ski slope at ISPO MUNICH 2017

The winter sports fashion brand Bogner is pioneering the fashion and sports industry by applying the first HolodeckVR presentation with the technology of Fraunhofer IIS at ISPO MUNICH 2017. Three users are being immersed into an alpine adventure where they can walk freely on top of a winter panorama. Virtual traveling is made possible, experiencing highlights of the 85 years of company history. The experience ends with a 360-degree ski slope which the fair visitor can drive with a close-to-reality feeling.  

HolodeckVR – Interaction and unlimited movement

Dr. Stephan Otto, project leader at Fraunhofer IIS, explains the huge advantages of HolodeckVR compared to current state-of-the-art systems: „The most pressing issues to solve in virtual reality today, besides the missing killer content, are the loneliness experience, the location boundedness and motion sickness. HolodeckVR solves all of these issues in a unique and completely new way.” Instead of being isolated and being in a static position the user is invited to move around freely by just walking in areas as large as four soccer fields and interact with more than 100 other users in real-time who can be seen as avatars.

Application possibilities for HolodeckVR are very diverse and include consumer facing areas like gaming, entertainment, virtual traveling, virtual sports but also the business side like virtual showrooms, industrial planning, urban planning, architecture configurators, virtual training and simulation.

HolodeckVR technology commercialization

The goal of the Fraunhofer project is the commercialization of the HolodeckVR technology and the subsequent launch of a start-up company. As a Fraunhofer spin-off, this company will be a pioneer in the field of virtual reality developing technologies and products for various business segments. Its vision is to radically transform how digital and virtual 3D content is being produced and consumed across different verticals like entertainment and enterprise.