The Mainstreaming of Virtual Reality

BusinessWeek has an article and slideshow on the rapidly diversifying applications of advanced VR technology. 

This is a subject that has been discussed heavily here on The Futurist, through articles like The Next Big Thing in Entertainment, Parts I, II, and III, as well as Virtual Touch Brings VR Closer.  The coverage of this topic by BusinessWeek is a necessary and tantalizing step towards the creation of mass-market products and technologies that will enhance productivity, defense, healthcare, and entertainment. 

Technologically, these applications and systems are heavily encapsulated within The Impact of Computing with very few components that are not exponentially improving.  Thus, cost-performance improvements of 30-58% a year are guaranteed, and will result in stunningly compelling experiences as soon as 2012. 

To the extent that many people who seek reading material about futurism are primarily driven by the eagerness to experience 'new types of fun', this area, more than any other discussed here, will deliver the majority of new fun that consumers can experience in coming years. 

Update (4/7/07) : HP unveils a variety of new technologies, from screens to sensors, designed to augment the realism of games.   

Comments

[Greg O'Byrne]

VR is cool and all but do I have to wear those goofy looking glasses?

Have you seen this?
http://www.techrivet.com/Will+New+User+Interfaces+Change+The+Way+I+Work.aspx

And I have an idea for a post for you regarding accelerating change, but you have no email addy posted on your site...drop me a line [email protected].

[GK]

Greg,

Thanks. I don't have an email that I give out, but please post your idea here. If you want me to, I can delete it after reading it. There will be too small of a window for anyone else to read it.

[david tow]

Virtual reality is discussed in my book -
The Future of life: Meta-evolution
available for free download from-
http://dhtow01.googlepages.com/futureoflife

david tow

[Greg O'Byrne]

Allrighty then.

I was thinking about television.

Remember when you were a kid you had access to one science show once a week? "Mutual of Omaha's - wild kingdom" or later "Cosmos". Well now (along with all the crap) you can watch science (and or history) 24 hours a day on several channels.

This means that all that knowledge is being diseminated constantly. More knowledge to more people more often.

Well maybe its a crappy idea, but anyways there it is.

[GK]

Greg,

Yes, that is correct. The biggest example is that of Wikipedia and other such online resources.

In the past, a knowledge-seeking person had to buy a book or go to the library and spend half a day. In countries like India, where there were no libraries, a curious person was left starved for knowledge.

Today, all information is available at our fingertips. What used to take half a day in the library now takes 30 mins online. Information that was not available at all in India and other poor nations, is now accessible online.

In the middle ages in China, paper used to be so precious that they had armed guards stationed near it (even a blank sheet) as it was so rare.

[Saul]

Greg O'Byrne said:
"Remember when you were a kid you had access to one science show once a week? "Mutual of Omaha's - wild kingdom" or later "Cosmos". Well now (along with all the crap) you can watch science (and or history) 24 hours a day on several channels."

Sort of like taking the Discovery Channel and the History Channel and removing the lower quality shows and having fewer repeats of the prime time shows during the non prime hours. It is a good idea and as more nations do their own shows like those on these channels you will probably see enough content for a few 24 hour channels, especially as automatic or computer assisted translating becomes better.

A project done recently to highlight the educational value of computer graphics called something like "The Inner Life of the Cell" became very popular on the Net and I seem to remember there being talk about TV producers doing cell biology programs to compliment the dinosaur shows which have been using computer graphics for some time to do compelling programing.

But the VR would allow for some new means of education for both serious students and private personal interests. A Virtual reality, Google Earth style history simulator could allow one to watch empires expanding on maps at high altitude and then zoom in to see how architecture changes and settlements spread over time, then take tours of historical events in geographical context.

I have just gone back to Google Earth after my initial interest and it is very interesting to be able to be able to click on and open photos of places you explore. The whole G.E. application can be a model for all sorts of innovations, just as V.R. or computer graphics in general can.

I imagine that there could be all kinds of collaborative applications created with the better graphics and physics processors that are being designed for games. Increasing the ability of people to collaborate can release a lot of human potential (mostly for the better I hope).

[Tushar D]

I have always thought that teaching History and Geography to kids using the traditinal methods (books etc) is not very effective. History channel type shows will work much better. Make it fun, and the kids will learn. A bit like putting vitamins in a gummy bear.

[Greg O'Byrne]

and GK, why don't you set up a web email account? It's harmless, and mostly anonymous. Heck I don't think yahoo needs any other referencing email addy's.

I think you are not fully leveraging the technology and synergies for which you are a leading proponent.

Just my opinion.