The Mirror of ERISED
Are you a Harry Potter fan? Remember the Mirror of Erised—the one that reveals your deepest desires? When Harry looked into it, he saw his parents.
When I first moved to the U.S., I missed my family more than anything. So, when my professor challenged us to design a WebVR-based conference call concept, I knew exactly where to start.
I created my own Room of Requirement, with the Mirror of Erised at its heart. But in my version, when I dial into a video call, the mirror doesn’t just reflect my longing—it brings it to life. The person on the other end of the call appears within the mirror, as if they’re right there with me. It’s not just a call; it’s a window into what I miss the most.
Inspired by my favorite book, Harry Potter, this project was a WebVR and Peer.js-based experience designed as part of an assignment at NYU. I wanted to go beyond the technical requirements and infuse it with a meaningful story—bringing to life the Room of Requirement and the Mirror of Erised in a virtual space. The idea was to make the mirror not just a reflection but an interactive portal where users could connect with someone they longed to see.
I built the Room of Requirement in WebVR and programmed the Mirror of Erised using JavaScript. By integrating Peer.js, I enabled real-time video calls to appear within the mirror, making it function as a magical communication device. When a user dialed another person, their image would appear in the mirror, mirroring the experience of seeing one's deepest desires. This blend of technology and storytelling created an emotional, interactive experience that resonated beyond just a class assignment.
The biggest challenge in this project was creating a realistic reflective surface for the Mirror of Erised. Unlike a simple display, the mirror needed to convincingly render an alternate view while maintaining the illusion of depth and reflection. To achieve this, I sought guidance from my professor, and together, we explored different techniques for rendering reflections in WebVR. The final approach involved using two cameras—one to capture the scene and another to project it onto the mirror’s surface, creating a seamless and immersive reflective effect.
To solve the challenge of creating a realistic mirror reflection in WebVR, I implemented a dual-camera system. One camera captured the scene in real-time, while the second camera projected this captured view onto the mirror’s surface, mimicking the behavior of a true reflection. By fine-tuning the rendering and adjusting the perspective, I ensured that the mirror displayed a believable and immersive reflection. This approach successfully brought the Mirror of Erised to life, allowing participants to see their "deepest desires" through a WebVR experience.
