- Holograms aren't just hype, they're the future
of computing.
(upbeat electronic music)
Do you remember movies like the Terminator and RoboCop?
Occasionally, audiences got to see through
the main character's eyes, you know,
robo-vision?
You see the real world with a digital overlay
that would help inform and orient the cyborg character,
well, in the films, that's all done with movie magic,
but, we really have that, it's called augmented reality,
or AR, and one of the coolest implementations
is in car technology.
Auto manufacturers have been experimenting
with AR for a few years, developing a kind of
heads-up display for drivers, so, you can get information
on your windshield, like, changing road conditions,
or, how fast your car is going, or other data.
Meanwhile, there's a little company,
you may have heard of it, it's called Microsoft.
They unveiled a product called the HoloLens.
In fact, I know you guys know about this,
because you ask about it.
A lot!
Well, the HoloLens is an AR headset.
It's got transparent lenses, so you can see
the environment around you, but it can also project images
on those lenses, creating the illusion
of a free-standing three-dimensional hologram
in your physical space!
And you can anchor that hologram to any point
within your environment, and then walk around it
as if it's a real object, getting a full,
360-degree view of it!
So this could be used for anything
from turning a flat surface into a television screen,
to seeing what a new table would look like
in your living room without committing
on the buying part first.
But let's say you do commit, and you buy that table,
and then you discover that some assembly is required.
Well, a product like the HoloLens, with the right app,
could help you put it together,
you could get step-by-step instructions,
and as you look at all the pieces
you've laid out in front of you,
it highlights which ones you start with,
so you pick those up, and then it tells you
what to do with those pieces!
Making the whole process smooth and painless.
This is just the tip of the iceberg
for the potential of the HoloLens.
And it's not the only augmented reality headset coming out,
there's another company called Magic Leap
that got a big boost from Google.
They're developing their own AR headset that uses
Digital Lightfield technology, which is awesome!
And what this means is we have all these different companies
trying to use different implementations of AR,
and whichever one works the best,
that's gonna become our defining experience.
All of this is happening right now,
but let's look into the future.
Think about, AR contact lenses.
Lenses that have tiny LED lights in them,
and transparent circuitry, that you wear on your eyes,
and you get the full AR experience,
without having to wear a headset,
which can create socially-awkward situations.
I speak from experience.
There are actual companies and research facilities
working on this right now, like a lab
at the University of Washington,
so, this could become a real thing
in just a couple of years!
And beyond that?
Who knows?
Retinal implants, anybody?
Just imagine a world where, if you wanna know something
about a person, or a place, you just look,
and the information comes to you.
Now, granted, this raises questions about privacy
and security, and they're important questions
that we should answer right now,
because, I believe augmented reality
is the future of computing.
Speaking of questions, I've got one for you guys this week,
what do you think is the coolest use of augmented reality?
I wanna hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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(upbeat electronic music)