Do you ever watch a movie or a crime procedural show on TV and think to yourself "I want that funky awesome technology in my office!" We do too.
Since Stark Industries may not be setting up our offices and classrooms any time soon, we researched a few of the tools available to bring the WOW to our lives now.
3D Interactive Sandbox
The researchers at UC Davis have come up with a way to bring imaginary landscapes to life with interactive 3D projection technology.
Building an experience like this only takes a sandbox, a digital projector and a Kinect. More information can be found on ViralForest.com.
Get it, fold it and look inside to enter the world of Cardboard. It's a VR experience starting with a simple viewer anyone can build or buy. Once you have it, you can explore a variety of apps that unfold all around you.
Many apps are available to use the cardboard with your android phone, and iTunes has many that work with your iPhone too ! Search 'cardboard in your app store or start with those listed in the sidebar.
The new Cardboard was unveiled at Google I/O 2015. It supports larger phones with screens up to 6 inches. It has a new button that works with any phone. And it assembles (and disassembles) in just 3 steps. Like the first Cardboard, it's still about VR for everyone.
Use the Photospheres app on your phone and create a 'been there, see this' experience to share using the cardboard oculus. Directions for using and downloading can be found on Instructables.com.
The Wordwide Leader in Technology Education for Children
Orbulus brings the work of the Photo Sphere community to life, putting you dead centre of some incredible landscapes and venues. You start off in outer space and select an orb that you like the look of - simply by holding your gaze on it.
You're then placed where the photographer was but, rather than seeing a flat image, you are presented with their location around you, whether that be a city by night or an art gallery by day, in 360 degree glory.
Fancy having a little look around the solar system without leaving your living room? That's possible with this app, which takes you on a scaled down (1:1000000) tour around space, complete with 3D models and to-scale distances between planets and moons.
As well as teaching you the basics of virtual reality, it lets you fly around in Google Earth, take a Street View tour, examine a series of tribal masks, watch YouTube videos on a giant screen, enjoy a short animation of a mouse on a windy day and watch 360-degree video.