Science fiction, or new invention?
What is going to be the next big thing? Bigger than the first cell phone was the flip phone, bigger than that was the smartphone. But now, something new is on the horizon. Augmented reality. How can it change our lives?
What is "Augmented Reality"?
Augmented reality is simple in theory: Take the real world, and augment it by adding various things. From games, to apps, and more, there’s so much that can be done with it. I’ll be focusing on the Microsoft Hololens, as it is being developed by one of the leading tech companies in America.
Microsoft has always tried to jump on the newest tech, and with Google beginning to develop their own; the “Google Glass”, Microsoft was quick to follow suit. They began to prototype, and showed off their best design.
The Hololens is a universal tool. From daily things like social media, to art tools, 3D printer capabilities, and a ton more. It could be a huge tool in the workplace as well. Allowing people to look at information without taking their eyes off of the real world is an amazing feat.
The Hololens is being developed in many different places, each person developing their own apps for it, testing them out. The developer kit has been getting shipped for a while now, and several companies have their own to test out and find out what makes them tick, what works and what doesn’t.
Problems and Benefits
Phones are too distracting. If done correctly, the Hololens will allow you to surf the web and view texts without interrupting everyday life. If done incorrectly, it could end up being a major pain. You wouldn’t want Facebook notifications when you’re trying to do your job. Smartphones are bad enough, and by creating an in-your-face system could be problematic. If Microsoft makes the Hololens non-distracting, and hands-free, it could be the next big thing. Using your phone and trying to do almost anything is difficult. Imagine the hands-free phone, of sorts. And no, it doesn't have to connect to your smartphone.
The Hololens was invented for the ‘everyday’ person, as a substitute for the phone, most likely to reduce the bulk. It wouldn’t work quite as well in third-world countries, as their lack of technology in the first place would need to be fixed. In the promotional material, it shows everyday people using this tech to ‘augment’ their lives. For instance, it showed someone with a 3D model, showing that they were able to spin it around, and view it from all angles. Then, they printed it out. The fact that it is wearable just shows that it wants to free up space. It doesn’t have to be connected to a phone, so that your pockets can be used for, well, anything.
The Hololens is a massive innovation. It could change the way we use the internet entirely, just as the smartphone did. In an interview, a Microsoft employee was able to direct a user to fix a light switch. Just by using their tablet and a Hololens, they were able to do it easily and successfully, even though they were in completely different areas. It shares the same features as a smartphone, while adding several more, such as being able to view a 3D model in real life (without actually having it), and programs that can scan your room, and display things on the wall. (Such as new paint, or wallpaper.)
Conclusion
This may have a negative effect at the same time as it may have a positive one. The apps on the Hololens have been talked about for being too flashy and distracting. It wouldn’t be a good thing if in the middle of a meeting, your Hololens started displaying random things in the room. Though, on the other hand, by freeing up space in our hands (replacing smartphones) it would allow us more freedom of movement, and allow us to use more complex programs.
Works Cited:
http://www.techradar.com/news/augmented-reality-is-ready-for-the-big-time-but-it-needs-one-more-thing "Augmented reality is ready for the big time, but it needs one more thing" 2017. Accessed Oct. 16th, 2017.
"Microsoft Hololens explained: How it works and how it's different." 2015. ttps://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-hololens-explained-how-it-works-and-why-its-different/ Accessed Oct. 10th, 2017.
Works Cited:
http://www.techradar.com/news/augmented-reality-is-ready-for-the-big-time-but-it-needs-one-more-thing "Augmented reality is ready for the big time, but it needs one more thing" 2017. Accessed Oct. 16th, 2017.
"Microsoft Hololens explained: How it works and how it's different." 2015. ttps://www.cnet.com/news/microsoft-hololens-explained-how-it-works-and-why-its-different/ Accessed Oct. 10th, 2017.
This really hooked me in from the beginning and made me read the rest of the blog, and the tone that you use in this writing is captivating, but why will the world need these in the future? Will they be mass produced and easy to obtain? Very good article.
ReplyDeleteRight at the moment, the technology is expensive, but Microsoft seems to be looking for ways to make it smaller, less bulky, and cheaper. The world may not need them, but they certainly are extremely interesting, and as development becomes more mainstream, who knows what kind of improvements to our lives that we could see.
DeleteIt is really cool that the hololense can access "social media, to art tools, 3D printer capabilities, and more" but would we have to worry about the cons of the internet like hackers and viruses? How could this affect our privacy?
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to most viruses, the majority of them come from downloading untrustworthy software, without doing background checks. That would be the fault of the user, and usually is fairly easy to combat. The biggest threat, because the hardware is so new, would be exploits in the firmware. The operating system could have loopholes to allow hackers to place viruses onto their devices. However, I don't believe it would end up being any more different than a virus on a phone, it shouldn't cause much of a problem as long as you know what's on your device.
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