Roland Piquepaille’s Technology Trends points out NetAttack “a new type of indoor/outdoor Augmented Reality game that makes the actual physical environment an inherent part of the game itself.”

Developed by students and researchers from Fraunhofer FIT, the initial experiments use volunteers on their campus.

In the game, two teams are fighting to destroy the central database of a virtual big company. Both teams have indoor players, who control the game from their laptop computers, and outdoor players, equipped with GPS receivers, trackers, sensors and video cameras. Broad positioning is taken from GPS. Precision is significantly enhanced based on computer vision. An orientation sensor on the agent’s helmet determines with great precision where s/he looks.

The hidden 3D items are distributed over the campus (above). Currently the outdoor experience is limited to a designated area on the campus that provides sufficient wireless network coverage. On several occasions during the year, the game will also be made available to the public.

Posted by Sam Churchill on Friday, April 30th, 2004 at 2:35 am.