With virtual reality approaching an actual existence a bit more with the Oculus (And the added device in the latest article, allowing you to actually RUN with it on without running into walls), I thought I'd ask... many probably would argue that it's not virtual reality. But how far do you want to go to get the level of virtual reality you'd be satisfied with? Holograms? Holodecks? Brain hookups? Something else?
For me, a perfected virtual reality has four hurdles it must overcome. When it manages to accomplish these four things, I'd say it's a success.
1: FEEL WHAT IS NOT THERE
This is the easiest, and to my knowledge we can actually do this... somewhat. I think there are gloves out there that can simulate pressure or temperature when touching something in a virtual world. It would be tricky to get it all over the body (Feeling the cold stone chest-high-wall against your back, the wind brushing through your hair, the feel of the love interest's kiss on your lips...) but it's something we're on the way towards.
2: NOT FEEL WHAT IS THERE
This is a tricky one... reaching a hand out where open space is in the virtual world, and feeling nothing but air, but where there is actually a wall halfway in the way in the real world. We can't do that now, and is a harder to do... probably one of the hardest jobs to do, next to number four.
3: NOT FEEL WITH WHAT IS THERE
This is actually something else that could be done, though to my knowledge it would be tricky to do reliably. What I mean by this can be explained thusly... say that, in game, your arm is chopped off (Star Wars game, perhaps?). If in Real Life you tried touching your arm, you'd feel it, when in game you should logically have your hand moving through the space where your arm should be, not feeling it on either side. While numming it or putting the limb to sleep would mean you would not be able to feel it, there doesn't seem to be any reliable way to do it reliably.
4: FEEL WITH WHAT IS NOT THERE
Let's say you're playing as some character that has a tail, for the sake of argument. In game, someone pulls on it, or it gets caught in a door, or something. You should be able to feel those sensations as if someone was actually touching a part of you. But the problem is figuring out what those sensations feel like, and how they would be communicated to your brain. Understanding a feeling that no human has ever experienced in millenia is limited to our imaginations, and not something I think our brains could easily accept. It gets even more complex when you move on into other senses. Heightened smells, extra eyes, or even, if you're getting really obscure, senses that don't exist except to the character in the game. This is the hardest hurdle to overcome, simply because of our lack of experience.
This is just my opinion of the four goals that must be overcome for a perfected virtual reality. And while I would settle for less (knowing that such a thing is not likely to occur within my lifetime), I'm curious. What do YOU want in your virtual reality?
For me, a perfected virtual reality has four hurdles it must overcome. When it manages to accomplish these four things, I'd say it's a success.
1: FEEL WHAT IS NOT THERE
This is the easiest, and to my knowledge we can actually do this... somewhat. I think there are gloves out there that can simulate pressure or temperature when touching something in a virtual world. It would be tricky to get it all over the body (Feeling the cold stone chest-high-wall against your back, the wind brushing through your hair, the feel of the love interest's kiss on your lips...) but it's something we're on the way towards.
2: NOT FEEL WHAT IS THERE
This is a tricky one... reaching a hand out where open space is in the virtual world, and feeling nothing but air, but where there is actually a wall halfway in the way in the real world. We can't do that now, and is a harder to do... probably one of the hardest jobs to do, next to number four.
3: NOT FEEL WITH WHAT IS THERE
This is actually something else that could be done, though to my knowledge it would be tricky to do reliably. What I mean by this can be explained thusly... say that, in game, your arm is chopped off (Star Wars game, perhaps?). If in Real Life you tried touching your arm, you'd feel it, when in game you should logically have your hand moving through the space where your arm should be, not feeling it on either side. While numming it or putting the limb to sleep would mean you would not be able to feel it, there doesn't seem to be any reliable way to do it reliably.
4: FEEL WITH WHAT IS NOT THERE
Let's say you're playing as some character that has a tail, for the sake of argument. In game, someone pulls on it, or it gets caught in a door, or something. You should be able to feel those sensations as if someone was actually touching a part of you. But the problem is figuring out what those sensations feel like, and how they would be communicated to your brain. Understanding a feeling that no human has ever experienced in millenia is limited to our imaginations, and not something I think our brains could easily accept. It gets even more complex when you move on into other senses. Heightened smells, extra eyes, or even, if you're getting really obscure, senses that don't exist except to the character in the game. This is the hardest hurdle to overcome, simply because of our lack of experience.
This is just my opinion of the four goals that must be overcome for a perfected virtual reality. And while I would settle for less (knowing that such a thing is not likely to occur within my lifetime), I'm curious. What do YOU want in your virtual reality?
