Why AR? I Am a Nerd.

TheARgirl
TheARgirl
Aug 25, 2017 · 4 min read
Photo credit: Maarten Kadiks

Being a self-proclaimed nerd has finally become a badge of honour.

A hypothetical passport that grants you passage to the land of the new tech elites. Nerds have moved away from the social fringe, and now represent mainstream future builders, members of the start-up crowd, the innovators, the social disrupters, the unicorn breeders, and potential leaders of a new social and economic order.

Growing up, I had no doubt that the alternate sociotechnical futures as described by my personal holy sci-fi trinity — Isaac Asimov, William Gibson and Phillip K. Dick — could materialise. What drew me to their writing was that they did not focus on the science behind future technologies, but how vividly they could envision and describe the complexities, challenges and consequences of applying future technologies within the context of complex human mechanics — on the mental, social and moral level. They created a vivid sense of the near- and far-future zeitgeist, social conflicts and systems put in place to regulate human-machine-digital interaction.

You should never underestimate nerds and their science fiction, as they play a pivotal role in stimulating technology and creativity. Science fiction is the ultimate playground for true innovators to seed ideas without being restricted by mechanical, operational and financial issues. I consider myself lucky to be one of the nerds who lives to see how the ‘fiction’ layer is peeled off science fiction novels. We are seeing Moore’s first and second laws [accelerated computing capabilities and decreased cost/accessibility] unfold, and witnessing how emerging technologies that were previously considered sci-fi concepts have materialised, and been integrated into our everyday lives — including the World Wide Web, mobile devices, Real-Time streaming, Artificial Intelligence, and, of course, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

My personal interest, or should I say obsession with other realities began as a child — on board the USS Enterprise’s Holodeck. It was such an incredible notion for me that technology could enable exploring alternative, infinite environments and experiences. But alas, all of this was happening light years away, on a spaceship, and I had no clue how to get drafted into the Federation’s Intergalactic Fleet. I did try to research the subject, but it was quite challenging with only a dial-up Internet connection.

During my design studies in the 1990s, ideas about invisible computing technologies, Augmented and Virtual Reality were being explored, and were even being prototyped. My childhood dreams were suddenly being transformed into a tangible technology tool, but still out of reach — ‘living’ only in research labs, with early prototypes that were not available or ready for mass implementation. My ‘technology calling’ was yet to be realised, and I entered the working world as an industrial designer. After sharpening my skills on a varied portfolio of brand and product design strategies, I decided to focus on my Master’s degree on technology innovation focusing on a social and user-engagement lens.

Along the way, I married a 3D game designer — of course! And halfway through my degree, he walked into our home carrying the best thing a man can bring his wife — an Oculus Rift Development Kit. He cleared his throat and said, “Honey, this is it. Virtual Reality is here. And it’s ready to change our lives.” I adjusted the Oculus goggles, and was ready to be immersed in my lifelong fantasy of a parallel universe.

And then… all of my childhood fantasies came crashing down around me. Where were these alternative, immersive and inspiring worlds? Instead, I had a mildly engaging experience that felt more like a party trick than transcending to another dimension. The visual feedback was disorientating and in fact — I became quite bored. I took off the clunky headset and was left feeling disillusioned, disappointed, and with a mild headache. I did not expect the technology to offer a high-fidelity experience, but I questioned the Virtual Reality itself. My husband shrugged, and told me that I am simply “experiencing it wrong”. And so began our family feud.

Like every nerd challenged by a feud or a sense of disappointment, I sat down to write a paper that would explore Virtual Reality as an innovation platform. I was hoping to find out what should happen within this Virtual existence, but mostly I wanted to have an academic argument proving that I was not ‘experiencing it wrong’. My conclusions drove me to shift my academic and professional focus towards augmented implementation strategies.

Intro — Augmenting Alice: The Future of Identity, Experience and Reality

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