Brain Computer Interface + Virtual Reality = The Next Human Experience
Harish Shah
The Speaker who Teleports Audiences into The Future | The Singapore Futurist | Coach Harry
Virtual Reality (VR) is fast becoming something that is about more than audio and visual. It is also becoming about touch with the evolution of haptics. And that is when we start to find ourselves treading into X Reality (XR), where technology mediates our experiences to the physical and biological extent. And the biggest mediator there, will be the Brain Computer Interface (BCI), where our interaction with technology truly becomes effortless.
HMD
Google Glass never took off because it was too ahead for all the industries to catch up, triggering frantic cross-industry opposition to its advent, leading to situations of non-cooperation and lobby-driven regulatory road-blocks. That does not change the fact that we are only years away from the Smartphone being dead and buried for good, with Head-Mounted Display devices, or HMDs for short, being the prime culprits for that, upon a massive blitzkrieg resurgence. You can't stop the eventual, deal with it. And future HMDs will be BCI enabled.
Haptic-Wear
The HMD device will become as common as the Smartphone is today, replacing the latter's role in our lives. That is not all the technology however, that we will be wearing around. Progressing from Haptic Suits, we will be buying daily apparel & accessories, whether for work, home, social or leisure purposes, that will have haptic features and will link to our HMD sets. Everything from socks, to trousers, to shirts, will enable us to experience touch or skin sensation relayed from or through the virtual environment.
The Experience
Imagine swimming or diving into a deep ocean without the fear or possibility of actually drowning. Where a camera could go, with XR, an individual will be able to go, not just to see what the places look like or hear what they sound like, but also, experience what they feel like. Now imagine being able to experience the depth of the ocean without putting your life at risk or spending on actual travel, while lying in bed at home. That is what BCI + VR = XR renders possible.
"Productive" Benefits
Experience transcending digital and physical lines changes the ball-game for training of athletes, doctors, soldiers and more. It opens the opportunity for experiencing environments remotely through surrogate robots, including work environments. It will also transform the meanings of telepresence and remote work.
The Fun Aspect
The promise of XR extends to experiences beyond what is possible in Actual Reality and that is where gaming and entertainment will find themselves in a situation of reincarnation.
What XR promises, is the possibility to experience life, or adventure, in worlds either too far to physically reach, or that do not actually exist. One of the greatest gifts of the human mind, is the ability to fantasize. One of the best possible rewards of human life experience, is to have fantasies realized. XR promises to deliver that realization.
With BCI, we can reach that threshold where what the mind can conceive, technology can create or manifest in Virtual Reality. And that would mean, each person can create his or her own fantasy world, and then live it, simply with the power of the mind, by relaying imagination into a system.
As much as the extent to which fantasies can be realized through technology with XR sounds like fun, it also enhances therefore, the meaning of the human life experience, by in turn enhancing its most important reward; happiness.
The Next Human Experience
That brings us ultimately, to the question on the end of the equation, or rather, as to what it is. The Next Human Experience, is as boundless and limitless, as the prowess of the human mind, to imagine, dream, conceive and fantasize. The Next Human Experience, is infinitely beautiful indeed.
The Business Case
There is no business more profitable, in the foreseeable future as of 2017, than the business of happiness.
Timeline
Access to XR will be as widespread and common as the Smartphone is in 2017, by 2032, going by the growth trajectory across the different critical verticals. The advent of commercialized XR products, when it comes, will be unprecedentedly rapid.
Harish Shah is Singapore's first local born Professional Futurist and a Management Strategy Consultant. He runs Stratserv Consultancy. His areas of consulting and Keynote Topics include EmTech, Industry 4.0, HR, Digital Transformation, Marketing, Strategic Foresight, Systems Thinking and Organisational Future Proofing.
International Sales Manager
6 年@ARLENE NEWBIGGING GRADY, I am not sure how does the brain-computer interface work. However, I indeed agree with the Author Harish Shah say in the business case that There is no business more profitable, in the foreseeable future as of 2017, than the business of happiness.
Senior Unity Developer and VR Guy @ ExR Education | MSc, Unity, VR
6 年Like this? https://youtu.be/rJy4D1zW7o8
Experienced Experiential Experiencer
6 年The future of VR is social. As we move from siloed VR experiences to group VR experiences there will be a rapid uptick in consumer usage. And when 50% of white collar workers are laid off due to AI, they're all gonna need somewhere to hang out.
Producteur numérique, développement de contenu & IP, Scène, TV, 3D, Expérienciel, Hologramme, Ar et Vr
6 年Great article, but as commented above, for the technology really to develop, we are going to need a huge hype train that is going to get the lambda consumer really excited about A.R. and V.R.
? Futurist | A.I | Weaponisation of Technology | Cyber* | Security-Tech | Risk/Threats re Tech | Robotics | IoT | Media SME | Advisory/Consulting | Professional Speaker | Polymath
6 年Some good theories here. But I think humanities lack of engagement with VR 360/AR reflects on our interest in some of these things. While I love them, I think the current era of functional adults (18-65), really could care less. This translates into lack of common use. It is missing an 'excitement catalyst'. This translates into a lack of common use, which means little business uptake, little experience, little teachers, little courses, no students, no qualified people, and the technology is stagnant. It needs a serious catalyst. The problem with the emerging influential youth (8-16), is that they aren't excited either. To them, the technology is as interesting as a screwdriver... it is just a tool. We literally need to manufacture or FORCE a catalyst event if we're going to get people to take up the technology. Some content, so compelling, that is not available anywhere else. I own a VR company, and most of the staff, who have unlimited access to the equipment, don't bother with it. They don't have it home, they barely use it. Even though there is a tonne of content out there. The content is good as well. I think that while the technology could have a profound impact on society, I think that the populace has become 'cooled out' over the last 5 years. Self-driving cars, AI, etc etc... there is just so much of it. I have brainwear... I have kit that I can think and drive a car with. I talk about it... people go 'WOW, THAT IS AMazing..... hmmmm well... I suppose.. " "I can control computers with MY THOUGHTS!!!!" Oh... ummm that's nice Skeeve. I mean... wtf? I think as futurists we need to stp just worrying about the future technology - but about peoples reaction to it. Yeah, you can have a flying car... but do you want one? I think this is going to be a funny era a tech apathy. The biggest advances will be those that just quietly become apart of everyday usage. Self Driving Cars, Solar/Battery and others... they will just 'be'. Of course, people like you and I will lose our minds about all the advances and run around telling everyone, but I think we need to really consider how much people actually care. I think it in big part due to the amount of prosperity in the world. The idea of Star Trek in the70's was WOW, wouldn't that be amazing. Now, what shows have that impact? Every superhero movie has amazing tech and we go 'meh... ok, we will have that soon'. So when I see the worlds lack interest in VR & 360; AR; Brainwear; etc.. then I have to wonder how we will get to a world of XR even in 20 years. What will be the catalyst that will have humanity go 'all in'?