Okay, maybe not exactly. But lifeClipper3 by Swiss design research Jan Torpus brings us one step closer.

Through the Institute for Research in Art and Design in Basel, Switzerland, he has been able to turn the Sankt Johanns Park on the banks of the Rhine into a primitive holodeck. The result is a film-like experience that draws from both the real world and virtual reality.

Thanks to a sophisticated software suite they’ve designed, they can take the information returned to them by an array of sensors to change the experience based upon the user’s orientation, and even rate of breathe.

This of course is an extremely primitive prototype requiring the user to wear a ten kilogram kit, and displays graphics reminiscent of early ‘90s video games – what sounds like an altogether invasive experience and nothing like the TNG portrayal we conjure when the word holodeck comes up.

And of course the need for a second person to help keep you from tripping or running into people/things, meaning that it’ll be years before this technology can even be considered for widespread use.

But still pretty cool.

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