The Interstellar Arc Serves Up Alien Foxes, Exoplanets, and Virtual Reality Carl Sagan

The physical space presents other technical challenges. The first is the number of people: Interstellar Arc can accommodate up to 170 participants at a time, says Raphaël, a considerable crowd even in such a large venue.

This can be a problem for traditional VR headsets, which rely on cameras and sensors to triangulate their position in a room. These devices lock onto stationary surfaces when you’re alone, but it’s much more difficult with more than 100 people on the move. “You might start drifting in space and bounce around, disappear and reappear somewhere else,” says Raphaël.

F&P employs an intriguing workaround that uses an additional camera built into the top of the headset that points upward toward a grid of infrared light spread across the entire ceiling of the room. The grid works almost like a “giant QR code,” as Raphaël puts it, helping each headset maintain its precise location by locking onto the unique pattern.

Etches says he’s seen similar anti-latency approaches for large-scale VR programs, but typically using markings on the wall or floor.

The feature seems to work, at least in my limited experience. I never saw any member of the group drift or bounce, although in all honesty there weren’t nearly 170 people in the room at the time.

Look forward to

With new consumer VR headset models arriving every year and lighter, more agile options on the horizon, Raphaël knows that Interstellar Arc won’t be able to rely on the same technology for long. He says F&P has already pushed the Quest 3S “as far as we can” and the team will adapt the experience as new models arrive. “This technology has only just gotten to the point where it’s good enough, very recently, and it still has a lot of room for improvement,” he says.

Etches believes that virtual reality has already become widespread in recent years. But he believes experiences like Interstellar Arc will only add fuel to the fire by creating a perfect setting for fantastical, historical or futuristic visual experiences. “You can’t really do it any other way, can you? Put someone in a different place in time, without moving them, and do it with 170 people at a time,” he says.