This Is What a Real-Life Holosuite Will Look Like

[vansau]

This Is What a Real-Life Holosuite Will Look Like

OK, it's not exactly a holosuite, but it looks like the first real step in that direction.

Ever since they first started appearing in Star Trek: The Next Generation, people have been asking when we'd get to enjoy holodecks and holosuites. Well, it only took a couple of decades, but it looks like technology is finally at the starting point of people enjoying virtual reality without any special outfits and goggles.

Dubbed the "Immersive Cocoon", these are small, room-sized "spherical theaters" that not only surround their inhabitants with light and sound, but can detect their positioning and movements. Not only that, but aside from all the motion-sensing floor panels, motion-sensing cameras, and crazy interior display panels, the units will also include air conditioning.

The Immersive Cocoon is the product of Tino Schaedler and NAU (a firm that does both design and advertising work). At the moment, the designeers are predicting that units will be installed in airports and malls and will be available for hourly rent with travelers and businesspeople who want to work in private or conduct a virtual conference.

This is all well and good, but I'm still holding out for a system that'll let me engage in full on combat training exercises and James Bond adventures.

Source: Geeks Are Sexy

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[Agayek]

This is all well and good, but I'm still holding out for a system that'll let me engage in full on combat training exercises and James Bond adventures.

WTB Danger Room [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_Room] PST

On topic, I want one of these. I can just picture playing Crysis or Bulletstorm in one of these, and it is awesome.

 

[ScoopMeister]

On topic, I want one of these. I can just picture playing Crysis or Bulletstorm in one of these, and it is awesome.

That would be so cool! I now want this to happen.

 

[Xan Krieger]

And nobody can see inside it, I have dirty thoughts shooting through my head.

Imagine gettings two of these, one for you, one for your wife/girlfriend. A friend comes over and you tell them "take a look at my giant black balls."

Final question: Will these be easy to clean? I imagine a high chance of motion sickness the first few times.

 

[Keava]

I like how they considered to tease the project with a movie [http://www.vimeo.com/21463365] that imitates the penultimate scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey... gives creeps.

 

[Agayek]

And nobody can see inside it, I have dirty thoughts shooting through my head.

Imagine gettings two of these, one for you, one for your wife/girlfriend. A friend comes over and you tell them "take a look at my giant black balls."

Final question: Will these be easy to clean? I imagine a high chance of motion sickness the first few times.

I can't imagine it will be worse than normal video game type things for VMS. You can't get real motion sickness at all, as it doesn't move, and it shouldn't be any worse than IMAX for those who suffer from virtual motion sickness.

 

[LavaLampBamboo]

OH man this is. The future is now! I love living in the future, although of course, we still need flying cars.
But seriously, imagine the gaming potential of this. Incredible multiplayer where you can actually turn to your mates and shout commands at them. It's gonna be AWESOME!

 

[Woodsey]

I wonder how much stuff now is investigated into because people have essentially asked for it in whatever piece of media they've created.

 

[Agayek]

OH man this is. The future is now! I love living in the future, although of course, we still need flying cars.
But seriously, imagine the gaming potential of this. Incredible multiplayer where you can actually turn to your mates and shout commands at them. It's gonna be AWESOME!

 

[dropZero]

Is it wrong that my first thought upon seeing this was, "does it have porn?"

 

[Lazy Kitty]

So that's what Darth Vader's "meditation chamber" is really like...

 

[vansau]

Is it wrong that my first thought upon seeing this was, "does it have porn?"

Just imagine: virtual strip clubs. In the airport. Brilliant.

 

[fibchopkin]

Cannot... stop... drooling. DO WANT!!!!

 

[Regiment]

IT MUST BE MINE!

Seriously, since I was about eight, having a holodeck has been my personal fantasy. Please let this catch on.

 

[TheSYLOH]

You know, unless they put some force feedback stuff, it's never going to be truly immersive.

 

[Therumancer]

Holosuites will not exist for a long while yet. Despite the name the "Holotech" of Star Trek relied as much on replicator, transporter, and force field technology to function as it did on holograms. That's why it was so realistic, as they pointed out it was for all intents and purposes real, as the computer was actually creating the things being interacted with and using transporters to move people and objects around to create the illusion of space. This is also why when the safety protocols were off, people could actually die, because unless it was being told to simulate something and pull the punches, the computer would pretty much create an actual gun to have a construct shoot someone with.

Now this lead to questions about whether actual lifeforms could be created on the Holodeck, and the answer is "yes". However given that the materials are being designed to be temporary and held together by the systems there, a lifeform can't really exist without those very same systems. It's not creating and destroying clones for example.

We're far more likely to get the same basic effect through neural interface long before we're likely to totally conquer matter and energy to the point of being able to do somthing like that. Of course given that the human brain is such serious business and the potential for people to be hurt or killed, I honestly have my doubts if the area is going to be looked into seriously. It would pretty much require a mengela-type figure with no regard for human life to do the nessicary experiments to develop this kind of technology. Even then once the basics existed I'm not sure if companies would ever release anything that worked directly in or on the brain as a consumer product to the lowest human denominator. The potential for liability would be too great. Shut off a video game suddenly you might corrupt data, shut off a game involving the human brain suddenly and you might do serious brain damage or cause psychological issues.

It's noteworthy that most of the works involving such technology involve "dark future" scenarios where society has collapsed, goverments are powerless, and human life is stupidly cheap. In most worlds where such tech exists, you have corperations who can peddle such tech because nobody can hold them accountable for problems their products might cause, or the danger they might present to a consumer. I mean in a world where some guy can walk on down to the local mall, and have himself wired into a bionic killing machine, and you need body armor and military grade weapons just to survive a two block jaunt, convential reality has ceased to apply to the point where people are beyond caring if Jr. might scortch his brain playing video games. Heck... in such worlds for all we know that's where the flesh eating psycho zombies that live in the sewers and periodically raid the surface for food actually came from.

 

[Logic 0]

Finally I can get all of the experience of a strip club without being there in person.