Future of VR: Less Simulated Virtual World, More Augmented Real World?

"How Magic Leap Is Secretly Creating a New Alternate Reality" is an excellent long Gizmodo post I meant to blog before the Thanksgiving madness, because it's about how Magic Leap the startup and the technology, now backed by half a billion dollars invested by Google and others, is aiming to be the lead alternative to the Oculus Rift/enclosed VR model -- instead of simulating a virtual world within a head-mounted display, displaying virtual experiences into the real world:

In an article that largely flew under the radar, John Markoff of The New York Times actually went to see the technology in person back in July. He wrote that he did indeed see a 3D creature floating in midair, through "an elaborate viewer that resembles something from an optometrist's office." It's big, in other words. Markoff also confirmed that the device projects digital light fields onto the viewer's retina.

If technologically feasible as described, it does seem more likely to be better received than insular VR. But that's the big question:

Believable augmented reality is hard. If you're looking at the real world, your eyes are focusing at a variety of different distances, not necessarily on a tiny piece of glass right in front of your face. The real world also reflects a lot of light into your eyes, which is why the images from heads-up displays like Google Glass appear transparent and ghostly. Because you need to see the real world, you obviously can't have a projector covering the front of the glasses: that light has to be bounced in from the side, which generally results in a narrow field of view.

So now I'm following Magic Leap as closely as I am Oculus VR.

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Comments

[Alisha]

If this works, this is the vr tech that will go mainstream.

Imagine the system having different channels. Ancient Rome, Egypt, etc. Flipping channels switches the AR overlay and that user is wandering around Egypt.

Or, perhaps you don't like the look of your rl house. No problem, augment it! Now it's a castle. Don't like your car? Augment it! Now it's a Ferrari. (Sorry getting carried away)

I think there are even more possibilities. What if this augmented reality is also accessible from a computer(viewer). Then we can walk avatars around the real world and interact with real people. Meeting will never be the same again.

I could go on for hours about AR and VR evolving together. I realy think this is where vr should be heading.

[irihapeti]

is really exciting a future of augmented reality. And also kinda scary and little bit creepy as well

probably the most creepiest is that a person can technically impose on you how it is that they would like to see you

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example:

back in the day a person invented jigglies in a SL viewer. A augmented reality invention. Meaning a reality for the operator of the viewing device to superimpose a view of another person in the world, without the permission of the person viewed

the world owners then built a permissions system into the view of the world. So that the person viewed could have some control over this

i think that those developing these devices for the RL can learn something from this. Like make a permissions system

basically, if two people are wearing the device then they can view each other as far as the permissions allow. When looking at a person not wearing a device then no augmentation of them will occur

yes people can break the permissions system if they wanted. but most people wont. In the same way that people can still use the original jiggly invention, but most dont

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also. I think that if the inventors dont build in a permissions system themselfs then it will be legislated for anyways. So I think is best to do this from the very beginning

[Amanda Dallin]

irihapeti is right. Also if governments get into legislating AR and VR you know they won't really understand it and will screw it up. That's not even considering all the lobbyist throwing money at them to legislate or regulate to protect their business models.

[irihapeti]

yes Amanda the implications for business models and private property are also important. Like very

example:

there is a device attached to the wall of a building. Or other parts. Or the whole building itself even

the device gives augmentation permissions to the viewers

a wall/part/building (someone elses private property) cannot be augmented without permission

can be with permission. Is where the money is. Much more money will be generated by the device on the wall than by any other method

[Nils]

Hi,

Alisha, Augmented Reality is indeed the way to go and you did hit the nail on the right spot. Great to read you get carried away with the potential. If VR is the natural extension of our current screens, AR is the natural extension to our reality with virtual content.

For the smart glasses, if Magic Leap is a name everyone talks about following its purchase by Google, watch out for VUZIX who have the most advanced technology for AR glasses I have seen working. And this is already available as a real product you can buy (besides their VR gears that are already out since some time now).

Their waveguide technology glasses provide really nice crisp visual augmentations that can fit very light form factors similar to sun glasses. As they have more than 15 years experience, they also have integrated a shading technology that balances out the ambient light as much as you please.
I bet we will see the first waveguide technology based consumer smart glasses out by the end of 2015.

Great times ahead.

[Tim King]

Perhaps glasses could work like this:

1. digitize incoming images
2. add virtual elements (synced via wifi)
3. send mixed images to viewer.

Voila! Digitized reality for the masses, or what I call DR!