Avatars and robots, if they are intended to look like humans, need to be highly accurate or not accurate at all. In-between invokes uncanny valley, a creepy space where things aren’t quite right:

So you either make the avatar/robot look clearly non-human, or you nail it. In-between just doesn’t work.

That is why, in Map Merge, we go for photo-realism in avatars. Sure, you have the ability to make some adjustments, but the end result needs to be 100% realistic. 95% realistic turns out to be a fail…

 

All the tech required for Map Merge is arriving. While goggles and a VR treadmill are great for viewing a virtual representation of the world, the other part of the equation is how people see your avatar.

While we will definitely want facial expressions, the movement of your limbs won’t be a problem. Due for release this year is the Heddoko motion capture suit. It is designed for athletes but looks like repurposing it will be easy.

The suit is machine washable and the battery lasts four hours. No price yet.

There are numerous companies doing this, here is one example, showing what we are heading towards: a quick, accurate, customisable 3D avatar that will reflect your real world  actions and expressions in a virtual world.