With emerging technologies like AI and the metaverse, people globally have been exploring ways to bring online and offline together.
This furry convention in Japan is piloting a mixed-reality (MR) system that lets fursuiters on-site emerge inside a virtual reality space … in their real-life, three-dimensional form.
Japan Meeting of Furries (JMoF) does this by using a series of cameras, including infrared motion cameras, to capture the user from all angles.
The captured data from the cameras is then rendered. Eventually, the user can see their 3D self on the social gaming platform VRChat.
On-site MR users can also interact with other VRChat users, be it by chatting or hugging, and the reverse is true.
Although it is exciting to have such a technology at a furcon, it’s not the first time JMoF employed MR at their event.
As recently as 2021, Anthrocon chairman Uncle Kage appeared in the furcon’s VR space … as flat as he can be.
To note, JMoF is one of the few furcons globally using an MR system.
In 2022, US furcon Furry Weekend Atlanta (FWA) debuted a similar system with online furcon Furality.
Using a two-way video feed, on-site attendees at FWA and VRChat users in Furality’s space could see and talk to each other.
With JMoF’s system, furries are now excited.
Excited, not just about what MR can do today and in the future, but also in the hopes that more Asian furcons may eventually have similar offerings.
Japan Meeting of Furries (JMoF) 2024 held over four days, from Jan 5 to 8. They had 1,949 attendees, and donated JPY 3,290,150 (S$29,747.63) to charity.
JMoF 2024：让现实生活更接近线上空间
随着人工智能（AI）和元宇宙（metaverse）等新兴技术的出现，全球各地的人们都在探索如何将线上和线下的世界结合起来。
2024 年头，日本的这家兽展试用了一种混合现实（MR）系统，以让现场的兽装者在虚拟现实（VR）空间中……以现实生活中的三维形态出现。
日本兽展 Japan Meeting of Furries (JMoF) 采用了包括红外线运动摄像机在内的一系列摄像机，将他们摆放在用户周围以捕捉他的各个角度。
所捕抓的数据之后经过渲染，用户最后能在社交游戏平台 VRChat 看到自己的三维画面。
现场的 MR 用户也能从而和其他 VRChat 用户一起互动——聊天行，rua也行！
但这并不是 JMoF 第一次在其活动中使用 MR。
早在 2021 年，美国兽展 Anthrocon 主席 “凯奇大叔”（Uncle Kage）就曾像他的蟑螂兽设一样的扁在兽展的 VR 空间中出现。
值得注意的是，JMoF 是全球范围内少数使用 MR 系统的兽展之一。
早在2022年，美国兽展 Furry Weekend Atlanta (FWA) 就与在线兽展 Furality 合作，首次亮相了类似的系统。
通过双向视频传输，FWA 的现场与会者和 Furality 空间内的 VRChat 用户可以互相看到对方并进行交流。
有了JMoF的系统，兽迷们现在兴奋不已。
这份兴奋不只来自于MR在当下和未来所能实现的，还包含了希望更多亚洲兽展未来也能提供类似体验的期盼。
JMoF 的 2024 活动于 1 月 5 到 8 日举办，为期 4 天。兽展有1949名参会者，并向慈善伙伴捐赠了 300 万多日元（约近三万新元）。
Global Furry Television 