Disney Shows Off 'Magical' VR Experience

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- You're in your own world when wearing a virtual reality headset, but Disney is trying to make VR a more social experience.

With no goggles to isolate you; Magic Bench is more fun with a friend or two -- human and virtual.

"Our mantra for this project was: Hear a character coming, see them enter the space, and feel them sit next to you," explained John Mars with Disney Research.

Mars says it combines augmented and mixed reality: an actual bench faces a display; a camera and depth sensor places you on the screen -- and in the story.

In the YouTube demo, a toad hops up next to a woman and gets salty when she tries to pet him.

"Users can see, hear, and feel raindrops as they fall on the bench," said Mars.

That 'feel,' Mars says, is accomplished through haptic feedback: devices that apply vibration or other force are mounted under the seating. It seems so real, the person seeks shelter under an umbrella held by a giraffe.

An entire group in the demo is shown to hold their noses as the water appears to rise around them.