Chrome site combines Cirque Du Soleil, webcam navigation
updated 08:13 am EDT, Thu September 20, 2012
Site uses webcam, face detection to spot leaning
Google's latest Chrome Experiment combines Cirque du Soleil with webcam controls. Movi.Kanti.Revo. lets users navigate through the site by speaking into a microphone or leaning left and right, in a demonstration of how a mixture of CSS with 3D transitions. HTML5 APIs, and the getUserMedia feature of WebRTC could be used in the future.
Developed by Subatomic Systems, visitors of the site can follow a character through a surreal world full of Cirque du Soleil performances. A box relaying a live feed of the webcam detects the user's face, and so can work out if the page should interpret a movement as leaning left or right. A quick test showed that this does work well, although any movement in the background also triggers unwanted leaning.
Although designed to show off Chrome, it also works in other modern browsers too. Browsers in mobile devices can also access the tour, but can take advantage of other navigation systems, such as a built-in accelerometer. [via Chromium Blog]
