MIT CSAIL Lab Develops Wireless VR System
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) have come up with a way to use virtual reality headsets without any cords.
The MIT CSAIL team unveiled their “MoVR” prototype at the ACM Workshop on Hot Topics in Networks last week in Atlanta, GA. The system uses high frequency radio signals called “millimeter waves” to deliver untethered communication at a rate of billions of bits per second. The millimeter waves allow users to use any VR headset wirelessly – a challenging task since wireless technologies have trouble supporting advanced data-processing like VR.
“It’s very exciting to get a step closer to being able to deliver a high-resolution, wireless-VR experience,” Dina Katabi, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science whose research group developed the tech, told MIT News. “The ability to use a cordless headset really deepens the immersive experience of virtual reality and opens up a range of other applications.”
In addition, some experts think millimeter wave tech is “poised to play a big role in 5G mobile networks,” according to a Verge report.
To learn more about the MoVR system works, visit the MIT News site.
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Sri Ravipati is Web producer for THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at [email protected].