If you’re a tech-savvy billionaire, there’s a good chance you’re working on some straight-outta-Star Trek secret project. Such was the case with Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen who, before his death, was working on a pet project—an immersive virtual reality experience that takes users on a virtual trip, no headset required.
As Axios reports, Paul Allen’s company Vulcan debuted its new Holodome experiences at TED, and it’s a distinct step to making Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s holodeck a reality. Simply step into the dome and—thanks to a 360-degree video, four very-high-resolution projectors, enveloping sound, and haptic experiences—you can travel to the top of Mount Everest or visit Claude Monet’s Impressionist world with a fully immersive experience.
Of course, creating a shared virtual world is a costly proposition. According to Axios, Vulcan was at TED looking for partners to share in that experience, too. Yes, TED is Tinder for billionaires, apparently. Keep that in mind if you or your company are looking for a way to step into the future Star Trek promised us.