Christopher Tran

IT Major

The definition of “Mixed Reality” is the merging of real and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualizations where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time. Microsoft is currently developing on a device called HoloLens. It is a device that gives the user the ability to see a mixed reality through a pair of goggles. Similar to carpenter’s wearing safety goggles for their occupation, Engineers can put on HoloLens and use it to interact and design within a virtual environment on top of a real one. It can be used to make video calls, design blueprints for architects, or even create people to interact with. It does all this by using advanced sensors to capture information about what you’re doing and the environment you’re in. It also uses a holographic see-through lens that utilizes an optical projection system, which helps generate the images you seen when using the HoloLens. Last, but not least, HoloLens has a HPU that processes large amounts of data per second that is captured by the sensors. Imagine an invisible touch screen and that is essentially what HoloLens does and does it well.

At the moment, Microsoft is shipping development kits for anybody to buy and use for their own endeavors. It is currently priced at $3000. It’s exciting to imagine where the world is going with Virtual Reality. We have devices utilizing mixed reality and virtual reality. Although it may be only at an ocular level, virtual reality will continue evolve. The world already has given us a way to even interact in the VR space. The HoloLens has its advanced sensors and HTC’s Vive has twin joystick controllers. We may not even have to have these peripherals because body scan technology can be used to all people to be the controllers. For example, IBM had conducted an alpha test utilizing their A.I. Watson’s softLayer cloud technology to create a VR world where the VR headsets are used to allow 208 lucky gamers to move and interact with the world after going through a 3D body scan. This experiment was based on advanced technology from a popular light-novel series called Sword Art Online. In the book it describes a device that can place people in a VR world. Players in the book can talk, walk, and feel while in that world while their bodies are put in a coma-state while using the device. Although the book is pure fantasy, it looks like this generation will be able to experience full-body virtual reality within a lifetime and I for one am excited.

Christopher Tran is a member of the Information Technology Senior Seminar course and is planning on a career in Application Software. http://christopherlytran.com/