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Experiencing "mixed reality" at EMPAC

This could be cool: EMPAC is hosting a hands-on demonstration of the the Microsoft HoloLens "mixed reality" tech on November 1. The demo will be on the venue's mezzanine from 10 am-9 pm and it's free -- you can drop in whenever. Blurbage:

Microsoft's HoloLens is the world's first fully untethered, self-contained holographic computer. Wearing the headset, users scan their physical surroundings and use gestures to place and manipulate digital 3D objects. Distinct from virtual-reality environments, the HoloLens creates a "mixed reality" where computer-generated elements are integrated into the human world. From the classroom to the operating room and into the performing arts, applications for the system are just starting to be explored.

That evening Microsoft developer Kayla Kinnunen will be at EMPAC for a talk about the tech. More blurbage:

Following the HoloLens demo, during which guests are invited to explore the system's capabilities and imagine new applications, Kinnunen will discuss the future of human-computer interaction within these mixed-reality environments. Kinnunen leads a production team building HoloLens and Mixed Reality applications. She and her team generate content for the platform meant to reach a wide range of audiences and spur creativity and innovation in the new medium. This event will be an opportunity for audience members to help imagine the impact of devices like the HoloLens and provide feedback on their experience working in mixed reality.

The talk is at 7 pm in EMPAC's theater. It's free.

There's been a lot of hype recently about virtual reality and augmented reality tech, though applications such as Google Glass have more or less fizzled out. But it's very possible this sort of tech will take root in small ways -- say, in work settings -- and slowly start popping up in everyday life.

In the meantime, here's a video about someone who built a real-life Super Mario Bros. with the Hololens.