Computer Image Beams Into
Reality Source: CBS News December 23, 2000
(CBS) New York - Computer-generated characters are
common in movies and video games and on the Internet. But imagine
walking into a store and seeing a virtual model hovering in front of
you, even welcoming you and selling you the latest makeup or clothing
styles.
CBS News Correspondent reports on a New York-based
technology company bringing virtual characters one step closer to
everyday life.
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"What we found is that consumers see this image, and
they immediately want to walk up and put a hand through it and see
what this is." Cameron has been turning heads at Hugo Boss in New York.
"Hi there, my name is Cameron. Welcome to our new showrooms," says the
virtual image.
He's a digital model projected into free space. Star
Wars fans will recall R2D2 beaming Princess Leah into free space. But
Cameron is in a real environment, not on a movie screen.
Cameron's highly realistic three-dimensional presence is
completely computer-generated. He's the product of Virtual Characters
of New York City.
"We can beam characters into your living room," says
Lloyd Nathan, CEO of Virtual Characters. "We can have a character
greet you when you come through the door."
"We have a series of optics that we've designed that can
take a computer-generated image and project it onto a point in space
where your eye is trained to focus," Nathan. "What we found is that
consumers see this image, and they immediately want to walk up and put
a hand through it and see what this is."
Retailers and advertisers, always on the prowl for the
new, new thing, are flocking to see virtual characters on display. "We
have major cosmetic firms, major fashion firms coming in and saying we
want to present our cosmetics, for example, to a consumer in an
original attention-grabbing way," Nathan says.
Columbia Business School marketing professor Bernd
Schmitt says novelty enables companies to break through the clutter of
today's mass messages: "Customers are increasingly interested in
having experiences in the store in addition to just buying the
product, and this new approach fits right into that experiential
strategy."
But will an eye-catching virtual model compel a shopper
to buy? Says Schmitt, "I'm not sure that the customer will really
fully identify with that person because it is not a real person; it is
a virtual character. But at the same time it will link that character
to the brand and thereby build the brand image."
Imagination is the only limit at Virtual Characters. The
company plans to tap the location-based entertainment market, and
information kiosks are another target. "I could do a
computer-generated Russ Mitchell that I could have hovering in free
space," Nathan quips. "I could then control what you say effectively."
Copyright 2000, CBS Worldwide Inc., All Rights
Reserved.
by Russ Mitchell
http://cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,259208-412,00.shtml
- Virtual Characters CEO Lloyd Nathan