REal and Virtual Engagement in Realistic Immersive Environments (2011: FP7 ICT – IP)

REVERIE is a revolution in online social networking. It is a safe, collaborative, online environment which brings together realistic inter‐personal communication and interaction with 3D media creation. Users can meet, socialize and share experiences using equipment they already have at home – such as 3D TV and Microsoft 3D Kinect – along with a range of content creation tools built for the platform.

The possibilities are endless – take your Geography class on a field trip; make an important presentation; attend a distance learning class; play the lead character in your favorite film – then invite your friends to join you using their existing social networking channels.

The research challenges are demanding. The focus is the integration of cutting‐edge technologies related to 3D data acquisition & processing, sound processing, autonomous avatars, networking, real‐time rendering, and physical interaction & emotional engagement in virtual worlds. These challenges are combined into two scenarios that will be used as the basis for technical integration, and which will demonstrate the validity and potential socio‐economic benefits of REVERIE’s vision for the future of social networking.

The work plan for REVERIE has been divided into 3 streams designed to support each other. First, it will go beyond the current state‐of‐the‐art by adapting the latest 3D content creation software to create new tools. Second, to ensure the system is efficient, stable, and meets its objectives, it will test prototypes within existing social networks. Finally, to ensure early adoption of the platform into popular social networks, REVERIE will evaluate, disseminate and exploit the resources created.

REVERIE allows social interaction to move beyond the laptop screen, and prevents social media from being restricted to text and images.