Virtual Reality coming very close to the real thing.

But general interaction technologies lagging behind?

The most extreme form of human computer interaction is probably a Virtual Reality system. With the recent acquisition of the Oculus Rift (VR headset) by Facebook the topic is hotter than ever before. But it is not about the ethical concerns related to the take-over.

My eye fell on a recent experiment with the Oculus Rift that makes you believe you are someone else. The setup is the following: There is one test subject that wears an Oculus Rift. A performer wears a chest mounted camera that follows the head movements of the test subject. This performer also mimics exactly the movement the test subject makes.

The result is truly immersive according to the author of the article. During the session a voice recording of the performer is fed to the test subject as “thoughts”. To make the illusion complete, the two participants are given the same objects at the exact same time. This tactile feedback seen through the eyes of the performer really tricks the brain of the test subject into thinking it’s reality.

The following quote, mentioned in the article about the experiment, got me thinking.

"To create true telepresences, we must supply more natural sensory channels — touch, pressure, textures, and vibration. We must learn which sensory defects are most tolerable." — Marvin Minsky

Why is our interaction with computers still so simplistic. Let me elaborate: Just look at your hands and think about all the motions they can make. Look at its natural form which seems a bit underused on the current interaction devices. Also think about all the kinds of feedback we get just by holding things. We can feel temperature, vibrations, textures, pressure, weight… Why do you think we are barely using all this potential interaction technologies?