Everybody is now talking about VR, AR and the metaverse.
I’ve been thinking about them since reading cyberpunk novels in my teens. If that sounds silly, stay tuned. VR/AR are here. They are helpful. And those novels paint a dire warning about what’s to come for your work and family.
Introduction to AR
You’ve probably been experiencing AR—augmented reality—for some time now. I know I have: This picture was taken with AR and netted me a prize worth $600.
It’s from an iPhone game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. That big mech is the “Imperial Knight Freeblade” you pilot. The game has a feature that lets you use your phone’s camera to see the Freeblade standing in the real world.
It was fun to see this guy from all angles as if he were standing in my cul-de-sac. (But I concede that my kids’ cameo appearance probably earned me the prize.)
Maybe you haven’t played the game, but have you ever used an app that labels constellations as you see them in the sky?
Or tells you the name of the song you’re hearing?
Or alerts you when there are sales or coupons available nearby? If so, you have augmented reality too.
One that’s been with us for a while: heads-up displays. Upscale cars will have a feature allowing you to see, say, your speed and the speed limit on the windshield, without looking down at the dashboard.
It always makes me feel like a fighter pilot.
So given the examples above, AR could keep you entertained, informed and safe. But that’s just the beginning.
This article summarizes the AR changes already happening in the automotive industry.
-Techs are getting glasses that allow factory engineers to see what the tech sees. The engineer can then highlight areas on their view for the tech to focus on. Remote support for complicated repairs isn’t so remote.
-Customers are getting phone apps that allow them to view a car in their driveway. Or allow them to view their dashboard, etc. via the camera view to see highlighted areas to tap for more information about each and every button and dial. Orientation to the new product at your fingertips.
-The list goes on: changes to manufacturing … to design … etc.
All these changes are enhancements, “augmentations” to the real world—hence, AR.
Introduction to VR
But what opportunities are available in a virtual world?
We have taken steps here, too. Think about your browswer. The Internet presents us with tremendous opportunities to keep us entertained, informed and even safe. And it’s easier to do now that we have a visual representation of the Internet’s data in the form of the World Wide Web.
Virtual reality asks the question: What if we further immersed ourselves in the Internet, not just with a graphical representation we click on in a browser, but in a representation we could see in three dimensions? Hear? Feel?
This is what cyberpunk author Neal Stephenson coined the Metaverse.
If you think that’s a long way off: Facebook has rebranded itself as Meta (get it?) and is working on a haptic glove. Think the Nintendo Power Glove, except it can also help you “feel” what you are seeing through your VR goggles.
We are already working and interacting through the Web. When will we start working and interacting through a more immersive environment?
I do know a college librarian who had her wedding in the online game Everquest. … But how close are we to a VR world? And should we care?
Microsoft would love for you to onboard employees inside a VR office.
And some folks are placing their bets: This yacht, made in a virtual world, sold for $650,000 in cryptocurrency. As an NFT, it is a unique piece of digital art that cannot be copied.
Bragging rights? Useful as a marketing channel?
Beats me. I don’t understand it.
But people are already spending money on rather simplified metaverses.
And they and their predecessors are already impacting your culture.
Which means we really need to talk about the cyberpunk genre in part 2, “AR and VR: How bad it could be.” See you in a week.