Virtual reality ‘answering machine’ records the real world while you’re in VR

People using virtual reality at work could use a new system to capture what happens around them and play back a 3D reconstruction later

By Alex Wilkins

A virtual reality (VR) “answering machine” can record changes in a person’s immediate environment while they are immersed in virtual worlds and play them back later.

In workplaces of the future, people may have to focus on tasks in virtual environments, making them unavailable for real-time communication with colleagues.

“The challenge is: Can we create a reality where we can still talk naturally even though the other person might, at that very moment, not be available?” says Andreas Fender …