[themedy_media type="youtube" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILb5ExBzHqw"]As a kid, I remember watching Star Trek: The Next Generation and being amazed by all the technology that characters like Capt. Jean-Luc Picard got to use. One of the most memorable technologies was the holodeck, a simulated reality facility where users can interact with simulated objects and people without requiring any special equipment or headgear.Today, the concept of the holodeck is one step closer to reality, thanks to researchers at Microsoft. The software giant has been quietly developing an amazing technology that brings augmented reality to any room. The company's IllumiRoom research project was first unveiled last year at the Consumer Electronics Show. More recently, Microsoft showed the latest evolution of that research in a proof-of-concept demo called RoomAlive..In a proof-of-concept demo called RoomAlive, several Kinect sensors, projectors, and depth-cameras, are harnessed to extend games to the walls around any room, creating an interactive augmented reality experience.Users can interact with digital objects displayed around the room, with the ability to shoot, hit, or move them. The technology also tracks the position of the players as well as detecting the floor, walls, and other surfaces of the room. The ability to detect players and various surfaces/objectives, allows the technology to accurately and dynamically display digital content."In the future we will explore approaches and experiences that involve multiple users and multi-user viewpoint rendering," said the RoomAlive creators. "We will also explore new ways to increase immersion with spatialized sound. RoomAlive provides a glimpse of how a scalable multi-projector system can transform any room into an immersive augmented gaming experience. Many new and exciting possibilities remain to be explored."Microsoft is clearly hoping to extend its Xbox gaming environment in the future, but for now the RoomAlive technology isn’t ready for consumers. At the moment, RoomAlive’s combination of video projectors, cameras, and Kinect sensors are too costly. However, if the technology can be had at a lower price point, and when those components become more compact, mainstream gaming consoles may finally incorporate the physical environment into games, and bring the concept of the holodeck out of science fiction and into reality.