Controlling an electrical device using a switch in the virtual world (the internet) would no more be a distant dream, with IBM India planning to develop an "interface" to suit such applications.Objects like a webcam could be connected to a virtual monitor or a real electric appliance to a virtual switch, according to a project conceived during an internship programme for students of top-notch technical and business schools at IBM India Software Lab.The project enhances the possibilities of the three-dimensional online virtual world - Second Life - developed by San Francisco-based Linden Lab and opened for the public in 2003.Over the years, the popularity of Second Life has grown explosively among internet users with over eight million 'residents' across the globe.In Second Life, internet users can interact with each other and can buy and sell services through their 'avataars'."As per the new project, the interface will allow users in the virtual world to experience objects in the real world through a new and exciting 'Rich Immersive Environment'," Benjamin Chodroff of Case Western Reserve University in the US, who came up with the idea during the recently held internship programme, told PTI.The new idea has many applications and will enhance both the virtual world and the real world with rich connectivity and on-demand-access from any part of the globe, he added. (-Sangeetha G)
