Every year, we take another step towards the future that has been explored in virtual reality based sci-fi literature and movies. While true immersion probably needs a spike driven into the human neural network, a la The Matrix, quasi-immersion is becoming more and more real.
Oculus Rift and their virtual headset have left the most cynical game reviewers slack-jawed with amazement, itching to get their hands on a full-fledged game built in the system. Leap Motion and its accurate 3D gesture tracking has got gamers and designers (not to mention air guitarists) drooling in anticipation of a future full of freeform motion. Tactus is working with microfluids on tactile surface to create interfaces that form and reform based on what you need. In the meanwhile, other groups are researching simulated haptic feedback through controllers as well as imbuing holographs with haptic feedback through ultrasonic technology. While some focus on touch, others are focusing on smell and taste, through digital scent and taste.
The picture being painted by these diverse and distinct geniuses is the same one; the truly immersive virtual world. The potential of such a universe, from a professional or entertainment angle, is immense. This kind of technology will make it possible to truly be somewhere else without moving an inch. Dystopian cynicism aside, this will take today’s shrinking world that relies on video conferencing and purely visual virtual environments to the next level.
As a designer, writer, and gadget addict, I feel like I am living in the golden age of interactive technology. A few decades back, one had to wait years to move to the next generation of technology. A few decades later, we will have lost the innocent wonder of making magic come true and will have gained an ugly sense of entitlement (something I already see in the next generation). This is the moment when it’s all happening. And I am glad I’m here.
Oculus Rift and their virtual headset have left the most cynical game reviewers slack-jawed with amazement, itching to get their hands on a full-fledged game built in the system. Leap Motion and its accurate 3D gesture tracking has got gamers and designers (not to mention air guitarists) drooling in anticipation of a future full of freeform motion. Tactus is working with microfluids on tactile surface to create interfaces that form and reform based on what you need. In the meanwhile, other groups are researching simulated haptic feedback through controllers as well as imbuing holographs with haptic feedback through ultrasonic technology. While some focus on touch, others are focusing on smell and taste, through digital scent and taste.
The picture being painted by these diverse and distinct geniuses is the same one; the truly immersive virtual world. The potential of such a universe, from a professional or entertainment angle, is immense. This kind of technology will make it possible to truly be somewhere else without moving an inch. Dystopian cynicism aside, this will take today’s shrinking world that relies on video conferencing and purely visual virtual environments to the next level.
As a designer, writer, and gadget addict, I feel like I am living in the golden age of interactive technology. A few decades back, one had to wait years to move to the next generation of technology. A few decades later, we will have lost the innocent wonder of making magic come true and will have gained an ugly sense of entitlement (something I already see in the next generation). This is the moment when it’s all happening. And I am glad I’m here.
