The main problems with Virtual Reality (VR) headsets are the fact that they are not yet ideal displays. That is to say, if a headset could provide you with exactly what your eyes were seeing and nothing else, then it would be as realistic of an experience as possible for immersion into a virtual environment. Current VR devices do not have this property however; there is always some sort of disconnect between what the user sees and their actual environment.
There are a few problems with vision. If you look at your hands, for example, the image of your hands will be projected into a certain spot in front of you so that it is clear and distinct to you. But this means that when an object is closer than the distance between your eyes and your hands (which would normally fall on either side of the non-existent center point), then there will be two separate images projected onto two different retinae.
The Biggest Fears of Virtual Reality
So the problem with vision is that it is limited to only being in one place at once. The solution then would be to have a display surface that you can see through so that no matter where you look there is always an image projected onto your retinae. This is essentially what a head-mounted display (HMD) does.
A headset has two small displays that project images into your eyes, but the center of each eye’s view is open so you can see the world around you. A truly ideal display would provide you with exactly what your eyes were actually seeing, and nothing else. This means that in addition to the HMD’s providing only light entering both of your retinas from the virtual environment, they must also shut off any light coming in from outside it.
This is essentially what a light field display does. A light field display works just like an ordinary HMD, except that it projects images into both of your eyes at once instead of one eye per image.
The Dangers of Windows Mixed Reality and Virtual Reality
there are some major concerns about this technology. First of all, as the gaming industry grows and more people get their hands on these devices, it’s likely that games will become much more violent. People already play Call of Duty for hours at a time, so what happens when they can plug into a virtual world where they can do anything they want?
Additionally, there is the danger that people will escape to this reality in an attempt to avoid real life and its many hardships. If you can plug into a virtual world where everything goes your way and no one rejects or ridicules you, why would you ever want to leave? It could be very addictive. Virtual reality will be used as a way to enhance and improve the human condition, not detract from it. We need more people who are willing to stand up for what they believe in even if others mock them or disagree with their ideas.
People will be able to put themselves in other people’s shoes and try to empathize with their fellow humans. We need less violence in our world today. Virtual reality has the potential to help us understand each other better and make the world a more peaceful place, but know that it will be used in ways we cannot yet foresee.
AI Controlled World and The Inevitable VR Takeover
So, imagine a future where human society is controlled by AI. We will be much better off in terms of our progress as a species to tackle more meaningful and important problems without having to worry about real-world challenges that are outside our control. Yes, virtual reality can create a very good world. But it will just create a false sense of security and well-being. You need to think about the greater good of humanity. You see, people will be tempted to misuse this technology for selfish gains.
The nature of current virtual reality headsets is that the user experiences a view that they perceive to be real, but in actuality, it is not. The head-mounted display (HMD) and earphones produce a sensation of being elsewhere, but since there are no corresponding sensations from other senses this cannot be considered “real”.
Reality vs. Virtual Reality
In the future, technology will advance to the point where virtual reality is indistinguishable from reality. The user can have an experience of being somewhere else and interact with that place as if it were real. For example, they can look up at a sky filled with stars or dive into the depths of the ocean. The way to achieve this is by creating a full-body haptic suit that provides sensory feedback.
To give the user experience of touch, pressure and vibration are applied to their skin through actuators in the gloves and bodysuit. The same principle can be used for taste and smell using scent dispensers or airflows over a mask. The experience must be realistic to the point of being indistinguishable from reality. The user’s brain would have to believe that it is somewhere else, otherwise they will become disoriented and unwell.
There is no technological barrier to achieving this. The main obstacle is psychological; the human mind must be tricked into believing that what it’s seeing and experiencing are real. The barrier is possible but will take a lot of work to make it happen. The first step would be to create HMDs with two high-resolution, wide-angle screens positioned in front of the eyes at such an angle that they appear not to be there when you look straight ahead.