In our recent Travel Report, (that you can find nestled in the centre of our latest issue of the Protein Journal), we take a look at the science fiction-like potential offered by virtual travel technologies. Essentially, tech that will make it possible to explore the world without ever leaving your house. From Oculus Rift-based simulations that present an entirely convincing, multi-sensory experience to remote controlled drones that give users a chance to explore a locale in real time, all without ever leaving the computer.

Now comes a new experiment looking to question the definition of travel: Omnipresenz is currently seeking funding on Indiegogo, and should it succeed, aims to equip a number of (rather brave) Omnipresenz employees or 'avatars' with a Go-Pro camera that will present a live-feed to a user who can feed commands to their avatar from anywhere in the world. Intended as a charitable service, users will be encouraged to use their avatars to perform good deeds and positively interact with other people from anywhere on the planet. With a user interface that will operate like a half-video game/half-chat room hybrid, the project will test people's levels of altruism and common humanity.

Whether or not giving people the chance to directly control the actions of another human being is a wise decision remains to be seen, but it is interesting to think about the way people are already starting to embrace the possibilities of technologies and finding new ways to connect us all.