Full immersion virtual reality is much closer than some think about. This type of technology could open up more opportunities than we once thought. Think about a world where all of your office buildings, entire corporation’s where people telecommute using virtual reality. Getting rid of the overhead of having office buildings and trimming down the number of people that would have to commute every day to the corporate office. Full immersion call centers, video games and vacations.
Summary of Key Findings
This type of technology is theorized to make its major mainstream breakthrough in the early 2020’s. We will start seeing conference calls, video games and movies in virtual reality. It would start with a mask or visor if you will that will have a screen shaped to fit your face. It will have built in surround sound to give the user the ultimate experience or their surroundings. By the year 2030 they expect users Blood cell sized devices implanted in them; getting rid of the need for a screen. These devices are referred to as Nano-bots, “When the user wishes to experience a simulated reality, the nanobots immediately move into place, suppressing all of the inputs coming from the real senses and replacing them with signals corresponding to the virtual environment” –Futuretimeline.net
I believe that this will impact us in many ways. The first way would be human connection. People have theorized that humans thrive on the connections they have with another. Would full immersion Virtual Reality pull us further apart? Would we feel less of a need to actually interact with people around us? Cartwright in 1994 said that he feels that this could lead to low self-esteem amongst other mental disorders. Taking away from day to day human interaction could have severe consequences in the long term use of this technology.
Others have theorized that this type of technology could bring a great social leveler into play. Taking people from different linguistic orientation’s and making it possible to interact without the need to learn a new language. Even allowing people with larger age gaps to have something in common, different cultures, making this type of interaction more rewarding in the long run. You could spend Virtual Reality time with loved ones who live in another state. You would feel as if you were sitting right in front of them, drinking coffee and watching the Sunday game.
As for the entertainment side of this product, imagine watching your favorite Action or Sci-Fi movies and actually being a part of the movie. You could be anyone in any movie, anything from a fighter jet piolet to a jedi. All of these would be possible with Virtual Reality. There are millions of people who play online MMO’s (Massive Multiplayer Online) video games. Usually driven with a fantasy aspect in these games you can be a spell caster or a warrior wielding a battle axe, riding a dragon into the battlefield. The entertainment section or Virtual Reality is what would sell this technology the most.
Conclusions
In conclusion I believe that this type of technology could be great but only in moderation. Without moderation we could lose ourselves completely. Leaving the real world behind so that we could be our heroes, whether that’s in a fantasy driven MMO or the latest Sci-Fi blockbuster. Even though tempting limitations would have to be set by the individual to ensure that they don’t let things get out of hand.
