Act in your own avatar inside a virtual world at Mahalaxmi

The writer explores the inside of a spaceship through the VR headsetAs we eye unfamiliar gear lying on the floor of a dimly lit G5A studio in Mahalaxmi we feel like wersquore on the sets of Avatar Sylvain Chagueacute asks us to strap on gloves pockmarked with motion tracking sensors on our palms and feet We also wear a Virtual Reality VR headset thatrsquos attached to a backpack ldquoNow stretch your hands horizontallyrdquo instructs Caecilia Charbonnier The action wersquore told will help the 16 infrared cameras set up in the space to track our movementsBrought down by Swissnex India the duo along with Clementine Lo are cofounders of Artanim a Genevabased nonprofit founded in 2011 dedicated to development of motion capture The reallife set up and gear are part of their latest project Inside Real Virtuality a 10minute multiuser immersive experience that combines the world of 3D and motion capture Here you can see your own avatar walk in the virtual environment and even interact with the objects present in that world Showcased at Sundance Festival and Cannes Festival 2016 the experience is open to public todayThe writer left holds a black stick that matches the movements of a flaming torch used to navigate a fortress in the virtual experienceHow it worksThe demo features three scenes In the first we are in the cockpit of a spaceship A booming voice instructs us to find two crystals and insert them in a kaleidoscopelike box to complete the mission As we bend to pick up a glittering green one in the real world itrsquos a small cylindrical rod we notice our hands shining grey Standing opposite us is an alien avatar of another guest wearing dark glassesMeet the clonesThen we cruise through a river flanked by a dark city mdash created by the team using references from the French film Fifth Element Monorails whoosh past us and skyscrapers tower overWe turn around to see a couple balldancing next to us We tread carefully to ensure we donrsquot bump into them Later wersquore told that they werenrsquot real just virtual avatars of two Swiss choreographers that the team cloned for the gameA team member helps the reporter strap on the gear left Sylvain Chagueacute and Caecilia Charbonnier PicsBipin KokateIn the third scene we find ourselves in a daunting fortress with broken wooden bridges and stone pathways where if you miss a step yoursquoll fall into the unknown abyss While a part of our brain knows that this is fiction itrsquos the gamersquos lifelike feel that tricks us into believing otherwise So we hold on to a flaming torch a long stick and tread carefully Though flummoxed we also take help from Chagueacute who we canrsquot see to guide us through the virtual maze Finally when we touch a ball of fire and step back into real life we realise the infinite possibilities that the world of Virtual Reality holds ldquoItrsquos exciting especially once more users have the equipmentrdquo says Chagueacute as Charbonnier adds ldquoGuests from five to 92 years of age have experienced the demo The technology can also be applied in various fields mdash in architecture at cinema halls or in a museumrdquo Now wouldnrsquot it be a dream to enter an Egyptian tomb virtually