Members of the International Olympic Committee (COI) yesterday visited the office set up in Lausanne, Switzerland by representatives of Madrid's bid to hold the 2016 olympic games and were able to take a virtual tour of the Spanish capital, including a look inside the various stadiums, thanks to the 'magic mirror' - a piece of cutting-edge technology created by Madrid-based company, Adnotan .

The COI members were greeted by a wall-to-wall black mirror, which, at the touch of a button, turns into a touch-screen enabling the 'visitor' to fly over the top of the sports facilities, take a look inside them and consult their technical specifications.  Computer-generated 3-D images of the facilities yet to be built are also included in the tour.

The same can be done with the road and metro network, allowing the 'visitor' to go straight to the part of the city he or she is interested in, without having to scroll through endless pictures or sit through lengthy videos. 

An identical, scaled-down screen mounted on a mobile lectern, allowed COI member, Phil Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee, to operate the system from his wheelchair.