The new reality is diminished

As a plethora of new altered reality technologies continue to evolve, it is critical that we draw distinctions between the various types and understand the potential impact they have on our lives, relationships and businesses. This article will focus primarily on Diminished Reality.

What is Virtual Reality (VR)

VR refers to a computer-generated simulation in which a person can interact within an artificial, three-dimensional environment an electronic device, such as special goggles with a screen or gloves fitted with sensors.

VR immerses you fully in a virtual environment, one that is either artificially generated or emulates real-world surroundings other than your own.

What is Augmented Reality (AR)

Though both can be experienced via smart glasses or head-mounted displays, AR and VR are fundamentally different, and should be treated as such. AR makes digital alterations or additions to your existing environment, but you generally remain oriented to your physical surroundings.

What is Diminished reality (DR)

Diminished Reality, in the most general sense, is the direct opposite of Augmented Reality. In AR, the goal is to augment, or add to, the real world using virtual imagery, sounds, smells, haptics etc. DR is the process of removing, eliminating, or diminishing the amount of perceivable stimuli from the world.

“I do think that a significant portion of the population of developed countries, and eventually all countries, will have AR experiences every day, almost like eating three meals a day. It will become that much a part of you”. Apple CEO, Tim Cook 

Diminishing people

Someone who captured this technology both brilliantly and terrifyingly is Charlie Brooker in his Black Mirror episode “White Christmas” in which Brooker uses DR to block people from reality. WARNING - there are some spoilers coming up. 

The episode explores three stories told by Matt and Joe from a remote cabin on Christmas Day. The first follows a man attempting to seduce a woman at a Christmas party while receiving remote guidance; the second sees Matt at his job training "cookies", digital clones of people; and the third shows Joe obsessed over an ex-fiancée after the relationship abruptly ends. 

As these stories are unfolding, Matthew and Joe both make reference to another new technology: blocking. In “White Christmas,” wearable tech has advanced beyond the rudimentary stages of Google glass and become Z-eyes, irremovable implants that let you take pictures and record things and, if you must, “block” other people. In the episode, blocking makes the person who is blocked and the person who has done the blocking look like grey, fuzzy outlines to one another. They can’t hear each other or communicate, and the blocked party has no recourse.

The terminology suggests a lineage with blocking someone on Facebook or Twitter. We tend to understand blocking as essentially protective: It insulates people from unwanted attention and (often misogynistic) threats - though of course it also keeps ex-friends and other irritants out of your feed.

The next time you have a spare 70 minutes, give it a watch. 

On the surface, the ability to block seems to positively give the user control of their lives. But social media are virtual spaces. The ‘White Christmas’ block plays out in real life. This has some harsh consequences.

What are the opportunities?

DR has existed in some form for over a decade, with one of the most ubiquitous examples being noise-canceling head- phones. But as the technology matures and is developed for the audiovisual applications of smart eyewear, it will allow users to target specific stimuli to suppress, isolating a specific speaker’s words and appearance in a crowded room, or re- moving all advertising from view during a walk through the city center. But there are also therapeutic applications for those with unique sensitivities, such as for those suffering from PTSD. 

One study published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers outlines a series of experimental workshops that used DR to assist individuals on the autism spectrum “who are adversely affected by continuously changing surroundings or distracting visual incidents.”

“DR is the field of AR that focuses on virtually masking, reducing, or suppressing features of your environment. As smart glasses proliferate and AR becomes commonplace over the next decade, DR presents an opportunity to virtually shape our reality rather than simply build on top of it” - Future Today Institute Founder, Amy Webb

DR is well suited for image / video production where unwanted items / features of a scene need to be removed. In general, DR does not impose any constraint on real-time processing of a scene. For example, wire harnesses and assemblies are often used in action sequences where the actors must fall or hurtle a significant distance through the air. In the final edit of the movie these wires must not be visible to the audience.

Contractors and builders, especially, could benefit from DR technology. One could imagine a city planner designing a new hotel where a destitute parking garage currently resides. DR would allow the planner to remove the parking garage and place it in the new hotel design. 

On a smaller scale, landscapers wanting to remove stumps or shrubs within an outdoor space, or bad tile and walkways could also utilise DR. 

Indoors, interior designers could remove outdated or grimy décor before adding new accents and pieces through AR. With DR rather than leaving a black hole or blank spot in the place where a physical item once was, the technology is improving to the point where it can recognise the characteristics of the floor or walls around the object, and fill in the “empty” space accordingly.

Diminished reality gives us the power to change the way we see the real world.

Of course, almost all opportunities come with risks.

Theoretical example

Another Charlie Brooker reference coming up. This time with Black Mirror Episode “Arkangel”, a story which imagines a world where parents can have a chip implanted into their child's brain which allows them to track the child, filter what the child sees and even view the world through their eyes. (Spoiler warning, again…)  

In the episode, daughter Sara has the microchip implanted and her mother Marie blocks out everything she considers scary or damaging, from a neighburs aggressive dog to blood and pornography as Sara gets older. As you’d expect, the over sheltering and interference has catastrophic effects. 

Denying a human exposure to stressful or troubling images could leave them confused and desensitised to violence. Not only that, but constantly seeing what your child could see is an invasion of privacy that could also hinder their development.

Echo Chamber

Greenwood Campbell CEO, Adam Greenwood said in his 2019 TEDx talk on the Echo Chamber, “How about if these same algorithms decide that you won’t get on with certain people and so will block them from your view. Imagine that… you could be standing in a queue next to someone in a coffee shop and that person could be your future best friend, business partner or soulmate but based on your profiles and an algorithm’s interpretation, you would never even meet.

Some people could argue that it’s best that you only meet people that you are going to get along with, what’s the sense in meeting people that you will argue with? The adage opposites attract is fine in jest but does it really work in real life? But if we don’t spend time with people that challenge us, if we don’t debate and discuss with people that share a different view, how can we be empathetic? How can we be inclusive of people with a different perspective? 

What might the future look like?

The truth is, no one really knows. However if we take a look back at other emerging technologies like the smartphone, app store and voice tech, it’s safe to say that these new realities have a role to play in our future lives. 

Each time a new technology is introduced, mass adoption is taking less and less time as people get used to using technology in their everyday lives. Especially if they enhance an experience or create convenience. One to watch.