Virtual-Reality Helmet Gives 360-Degree View
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It's about as glamorous as wearing an old-style TV set on your head, but the dome-shaped headgear from Japanese electronics maker Toshiba Corp. isn't meant to be fashionable.
It's designed to show images in a 360-degree view — synched with the motion of the wearer's head to deliver the illusion of being someplace else: a cityscape at night, for example, or outer space.
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The still experimental 6-pound bubble-headed helmet has infrared sensors on top that detect which way the wearer's head is moving.
A projector in the back of the helmet displays corresponding images on a 16-inch screen right before the user's eyes.
Although the headgear looks bulky, it's actually smaller than older versions of the same technology, Toshiba spokeswoman Kaori Hiraki said.
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But Toshiba has no plans yet to turn the helmet into a commercial virtual-reality product.
Eventually, Toshiba believes, it will come in handy for computer games or enhancing the impact of movies.