Blurring the lines of reality

Vectorform recently took part in an event with the Olympia Film Society (OFS), a group formed to enrich the community by promoting independent and under-represented film, music, and arts. The OFS supports Science on Screen, a series that pairs current, classic, cult, and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from the world of science, technology, and medicine.

A recent Science on Screen event featured the 1973 movie ‘Westworld’ – the Michael Crichton film that also inspired the recent HBO series. In the film, vacationers visit a futuristic theme park run by robotic hosts, where visitors can live out their fantasies through artificial consciousness.

Before the showing at Capitol Theater, Vectorform introduced its mixed reality (MR) experience, HoloFramer, built for the Microsoft HoloLens. Seattle Executive Director, Woody Floyd, demonstrated HoloFramer to the audience before inviting attendees to experience it for themselves – showing multiple virtually-framed images hanging on the screen in the historic theater.

After the demonstration, audience members were able to experience their own personal slice of MR. Light was projected directly to each individual’s eyes through Microsoft’s head mounted display (HMD), and by moving around the theater, they could view their personal gallery presented by HoloFramer.

As HoloLens experiences improve and we continue to make advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), the idea of experiencing a virtual Westworld in MR draws closer. One day we may be in the middle of a gun fight in the streets of an old western frontier town like in Westworld – but without the real danger that existed in Crichton’s universe.