Lenovo revealed its ‘Project Chronos’ at CES 2023, and it’s a device comparable to Microsoft’s Kinect, although with more advanced tech.
Project Chronos is a device that allows users to beam an avatar of themselves into a virtual world/metaverse. Powered by a 13th-Gen Intel core processor, the device uses an RGB depth camera to capture and transmit user movements in real-time onto a screen.
In a demo at CES, the company showed the device in action to create virtual version of people onto a screen in real-time. As reported by The Verge, “One person did some jumping jacks that animated smoothly. Later, they wound up a kick and sent a soccer ball into a goal.” The device can also capture facial expressions, though the facial capture was noted as being slightly off.
“Hybrid experiences that are immersive yet convenient are on the rise as the lines between the physical and the virtual continue to blur,” Lee Highsmith, an analyst at Lenovo, said in a virtual press briefing ahead of CES. “With Project Chronos, the goal is to create virtual and hybrid experiences by vividly capturing full body motion and even clearly visible facial expressions in near-real time.”
The device can be adjusted to capture a specific angle or turned inward for privacy, and Lenovo is also creating a remote for navigating menus from a distance.
It is currently unclear if and when Project Chronos will go on sale, and which apps it will be compatible with. Lenovo also did not announce the tentative pricing for the device. However, according to Lenovo pokesperson Jeff Witt’s statement given to The Verge, Lenovo’s “intent” is to ship the device in 2023.
Elsewhere, Lenovo made several other product announcements at CES 2023.
You can find all of our coverage from CES 2023 here.
Image credit: Lenovo
Nanoleaf’s 4D lighting system features a Screen Mirror Camera that mounts above or below your TV screen and extends the colour of your display. Nanoleaf says this system is powered by its new Sync+ technology and Matter-compatible LED light strip that features 50 lighting zones.
Though other smart light makers have sold ceiling-mounted lights for years, the Skylight is Nanoleaf’s first entry in the space. These modular light tiles mount flush against the ceiling and feature a square design.
Joining nearly every other smart lighting company out there, Nanoleaf now offers hardwired and wireless switch controls for its lights. These switches can turn lights on and off, change the brightness level and switch between preset scenes. The light switches also feature an ambient light that makes them easier to find in the dark, comes in a wireless version, and, more importantly, it’s Matter compliant. The Sense+ launches in Q3 2023.
