Reality 2.0 - the machine is us

Hey guys, hope you had a great weekend!

What I want to talk about was brought up in class last week and it's in relation to the idea of augmented reality - of the artificial world melding into the real world, or vice versa.

While this is not an entirely new field (in fact, you could argue that inventions in the pre-computer era touched on augmenting reality) it has really come into its own in the past few years where we're experiencing the ability for different technologies to work in synergy to offer a more rounded interactive experience. What this means is that the old ideas of interfacing with devices (using straightforward input/output through a mouse, a keyboard, a monitor, etc) have been all but erased. Designers, engineers and the likes have all returned to square one to rethink how we interact with the devices we increasingly depend on to get by.

Over the past two years some of the coolest tech has been introduced to the marketplace. Of notable mention is the iPhone 3Gs which is a small but powerful example of what happens when several formerly discrete technologies are used in combination. Serving as just one example is this app from Acrossair which uses the data chip, the camera, the GPS receiver and the digital compass features of the device together to present users with a real time overlay of the London Underground system.

Perhaps a more elaborate example of the ground-up rethinking of how we interact with our devices is dramatically illustrated in Microsoft's Project Natal - an Xbox 360 development that completely revamps the console's purpose and capabilities. This 'controller' basically devised of a twin-lens camera and microphone is able to recognise and distinguish users upon entering the room; thus greeting them and loading their personalised preferences accordingly. But that's only the tip of the iceberg. Natal represents a new plateau for interactive game development, as is illustrated by Lionhead Studios' "Milo" in the following video

So the 3Gs is an example of present day interactive pioneering, Natal is a little taste of what's in the pipeline, but to really take an educated guess at the possible paths the implementation of augmented reality can take us, I turn to TED. In the following clip an MIT student demonstrates his 'Sixth Sense' technology, his idea of things to come. Sixth Sense technology is not an upgrade, or a new input device; rather, it completely repositions the computer and its role in our lives by making it an extension of our day-to-day sensory experience.

As a device, Sixth Sense is quite basic, it is a mini camera, cpu and projector all strapped onto a lanyard that is worn around the neck like a not-so-fashion-conscious pendant. The capabilities it represents, however, are not to be taken lightly. Imagine a reality which not only featured the connectivity of the web on a device, but actually overlayed it onto the real world around you, and interacted with it in real-time. That's the promise of Sixth Sense technology, have a look at the TED video, and I'll talk a little more in-depth about the device in my presentation.