How Microsoft’s RoomAlive (think the Holodeck from Star Trek) could fix one of Asia’s biggest problems

Star Trek fans, have you ever wished that the Holodeck was a real thing? Microsoft apparently has too, because today it unveiled RoomAlive, a projection-mapping proof of concept that aims to turn your den into a new and interactive environment. Here’s the project in action, via the research team’s blog:

Now obviously, this isn’t technology you’re going to be installing in your family room for the holidays this year. It’s not available to consumers, there’s no content for it, and having to buy six projectors and Kinect sensors to get the full experience is the very definition of cost-prohibitive. You won’t be experiencing RoomAlive in your home any time soon.

But with that said, this kind of technology should catch the eye of Asian entrepreneurs, because when it is perfected and when it becomes more affordable, it has the potential to help solve one of the region’s biggest urban problems: the lack of living space.

It’s no secret that some of Asia’s biggest cities are cramped. As a result, living spaces can be pretty small compared to what’s available in the countryside. And if you want a bigger space in a densely-populated city like Tokyo or Beijing, you’d better be prepared to pay through the nose to get it.

RoomAlive’s games look intriguing enough, but my first thought upon watching the video is that this technology could probably make a room feel much bigger than it actually is. We’ve all seen this basic concept in rooms with large mirrors or windows. But RoomAlive has the potential to turn all of your walls into virtual windows that work any way you want them to. Being able to put yourself in the middle of a lush forest, a sunny field, or even the open ocean at the touch of a button could be really helpful in staving off the cabin fever that can come from being stuck in a tiny apartment. And as those of us who’ve lived in tiny apartments know well, anything that can make the place feel bigger is going to be welcome.

And of course, because RoomAlive can also sense and react to your own movements, it can do much more than project a pretty image onto your wall. Not only could you make your apartment look like a forest, with this technology you’d actually be able to take a walk through it, and interact with it. Grab a treadmill and you can take in the sights on a 5k run inside your 50-square-meter apartment. For Asia’s urban denizens, that’s going to hold some serious appeal.

(See more: A Chinese startup wants to bring 3D and motion detection for cheap into gaming)