British Telecommunications Plc is looking to take virtual reality one step further by networking virtual worlds together to improve business communications. We are interested in the potential of networking these environments and bringing people into contact with each other, with content and applications. This is where we see British Telecom’s business heading, said Graham Walker who is leading the research. The research is being undertaken at the British Telecom Laboratories under the Shared Spaces program. The pinnacle of BT’s demonstration of this research is a Vision Dome from US start-up Ultimate Realities Corp. The dome is similar to an IMAX screen and enables up to 15 viewers at a time to watch projected virtual world images. The dome gives 360 by 180 degree hemispherical field of view with spatialized sound and without the need for a headset or goggles. The idea is that ultimately, end users could have a dome or large screen in their offices to interact virtually with other offices or different companies.
