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I've Just Seen The Future
Last week I was walking with my wife through our local shopping mall and came across a Virtual Reality (VR) Samsung display. Without any hesitation at all we both donned headsets and headphones to experience what the latest and greatest VR was really like.
For those of you that are unfamiliar with VR it involves putting on some goggles and the images for each eye are slightly misaligned so that you get true 3D vision. The headphones are regular and are typically designed to block out any external noise. A head tracking device completes the kit so that when you move your head the images that you are viewing also move.
I first experience VR about twenty years ago at the Walt Disney Imagineering labs and it was incredible so I was looking forward to seeing what the latest and greatest was like.
The VR gear that we were testing was built by kickstarter funded Oculus Rift (later purchased by Facebook for a couple of billion) and the headset used a Samsung Galaxy phone for displaying the images. It’s incredible how far the computing power of a phone has come!
What I was really looking for was immersion. That point in time where I actually believed that I was where my eyes and ears were telling me.
The simulation that I was experiencing was an ocean dive where I could swim with fish and eventually encounter a great white shark. It really was incredible to be able to look around and see everything. The actual shark encounter was pretty good although being eventually eaten and inside the stomach was a little macabre.
I found the head tracking and the displaying of the images really good. I’d move my head and the image would instantly follow. In the past this would create a sense of motion sickness as the image would lag behind your movement. The only time I did feel a little off was when the simulation moved me up towards the boat. I was doing anything and yet I was moving….this was a little off-putting.
For a device that will sell for a few hundred dollars it was an amazing experience. It has the potential to bring a whole new level of meaning to tele-computing, gaming and education.
For instance, could you imagine your classroom teacher talking about Neil Armstrong landing on the moon and the whole class was waiting for him as he stepped down the off the Lunar Module! Now, that’s a whole new level of education!
Right now Sony, Oculus and Samsung are the forerunners in VR technology. There are quite a number of smaller startups doing some interesting things as well to facilitate the integration of movement and doing things such as simulating your hand in the virtual environment. All really cool stuff!
If you get a chance, I would highly recommend trying it out. VR is almost there but I’m sure with a bit more time that it will truly be a world changing technology. BTW – Oculus is planning on releasing their commercial headset around mid-next year.
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Michael Gilmour has been in business for over 32 years and has both a BSC in Electronics and Computer Science and an MBA. He was the former vice-chairman of the Internet Industry Association in Australia and is in demand as a speaker at Internet conferences the world over. Michael is passionate about working with online entrepreneurs to help them navigate their new ventures around the many pitfalls that all businesses face.
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Comments
Love all immersive technology augmented technolgy all coming on to the market soon it has the potential to change gaming , e commerce , movies toys etc the day my mind believes that I am in a new environment away from the day to day boredom of reality it will open a new world of travel , gaming , dating but will I like the virtual world more than the real one I currently live in it could open up a new set of problems . Creating a make believe existence
It's going to be really interesting as the line between reality and illusion becomes blurred. I actually believe that this could become a fundamental shift in the way that humans interact with one another. Is it healthy? Not really sure at this stage. I do think that it will transform travel.....dump all of your airline shares!
For sure , I thought travel only for the fact that i will be able to virtually walk down the strip of Las Vegas then shoot over to London or Australia then view all the top museums from around the world and feel as I am there so this would limit my travel not entirely but would make me go away less and less especially with the security concerns such as Egypt when I can see the pyramids from the safety of my own home touch and feel them with haptic technology keep up great work look forward to reading more articles on these topics
For me, a great use of VR will be in education. Imagine how we can attend the best 'virtual' universities in the world without having to leave our house. What we need is a special room in our house equipped with all the necessary gears to allow us to just sit in a chair without having to wear any gear. We should be able to interact with the professor and other students in the same classroom. Just imagine how better the world will become if anyone can listen to the best professor in each field and be educated!
I'm in with this Kassey!
VR is here, and it's going to be quite a ride. I own *****.com in my VR domain collection.
A pilgrim woman stopped her husband one day and said, "The Indians have been so good to us since we arrived at Plymouth Rock, I think it would be nice to invite them over for a big dinner to thank them for all their help. Why don't you go hunting and catch a nice big pheasant so we can have a celebration.
The husband, having just gotten off the boat, wasn't much of a hunter, but he did his best and set a snare along a small path in the woods where pheasants were known to pass. He then crouched behind a bush and waited. A short while later a pheasant came down the path and noticed the circle of string. "Gee," it said, "That looks like a trap. Someone could get hurt in one of those." and the pheasant gingerly stepped around the trap. Soon another pheasant came down the path and saw the snare. "Gosh!" it said. "A bird could get caught in one of those. They shouldn't be left lying around." and the pheasant carefully stepped around the trap and went on it's way.
A little while later, a turkey came down the path. Upon seeing the snare it said. "Wow! A trap! I wonder if it works..."
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
Original humor by
Gerry Reagan
LOL! What more can I say!
As VR and Drone Technology continue to merge the result will be an amazing extension of thought...With refined sensors, better operating systems, improved batteries and the latest pair of Oculus Rift, one would be able to grab a six pack at the nearest store without leaving the house.
It's all about tele-consciousness or teleporting your presence and not your body to wherever and whenever you desire. It's going to be a really scary but incredible world we move into.
Uzoma Ojogho, i would add private registration to that ******.com. lol especially if you're going to spam it.
Removed address details......