Doughnut-shaped reality

A virtual-reality system that provides a 360° view without the need to
wear a VR headset is being patented by the University of Washington (WO
00/49804). Users sit inside a doughnut-shaped plastic mirror the size of a truck
tyre. A circular TV screen suspended overhead projects an image through a
circular lens onto the mirror, creating a continuous 360° image that appears
to hang in space. The downside is that viewers can’t move from the centre of the
mirror.