Virtual Reality

I heard an anecdote about a retired man that uses Google Maps to travel, because he’s too weak to physically travel. He uses street view to walk around a neighborhood, he researches hotels in the area, and even pretends to eat at restaurants. Imagine what VR can do for this man. When I heard this anecdote, I got so excited by the prospect of what VR can do.

VR is not supposed to recreate an existing reality, instead it should be used to create new realities. With VR, it’s possible to deliver experiences that were previously impossible. I think the big insight, is that a full VR experience is more than just visuals, it’s sound, smell, touch, and other external stimulus. The visual aspect is just one facet of the experience, albeit an important one. VR is the answer to the previously unanswerable, “What is it like to do X?”

I want to use VR to make people feel like they are somebody or something else. I think that VR should be used to allow people to walk in others shoes. Some ideas that I had:

1. Put a VR camera in a DJ booth to see what it’s like to be a DJ. The evolution of this, is to create a digital party, where people can DJ, people can dance, etc. But, I think that’s far away, for now, I’d love to see what it’s like to be a DJ on the Robot Heart bus during Burning Man.
2. Create an experience of flying a fighter jet, I’ve always wanted to be an air-force pilot but a life in the air force was too big of a commitment for me.
3. What’s it like to be in somebody else’s mind? Think “Being John Malkovich”. What is like to be Pres Obama for an hour? Roger Federer during a match? or even Eddie Cohen? I think it’s possible to make experiences which allow a viewer to see what it’s like to be somebody else. What does one choose to wear? Where does one sleep? Eat? Etc.
4. A VR experience of how the body is effected by cigarette smoke. To literally show people what they are doing to themselves by smoking.
5. Place a camera rig in the deepest parts of the ocean, to allow people to explore the unknown.
6. Record what it’s like to be an animal that is going to be slaughtered to eat. Make a short ten minute film from the perspective of a cow, being raised, getting fed, and ultimately getting butchered.
7. On a lighter and more kid friendly note, what’s it like to be a bird? A bat? A snake? A rat in NYC? Etc.
8. Jump into fiber optics, see what it’s like to be a packet of data. This would be a good way to teach children about the internet.
9. I also think VR is a good way to scare people — what’s it like to drive drunk? Get into a motorcycle accident, car accident etc.
10. What happens to a tooth when you eat candy and when you fill a cavity?
11. Another interesting project would be to simulate the aging process, depending on how one treat him or herself. Eg, if you exercise, you will look like this.
12. Jump into a music visualizer, and watch fractals emerge and get transformed as the beats move.

All of these ideas are multi-sensory experiences, so I’d control the audio inputs, smells, touch (air flow, water, pinch, etc.), and every other factor of the experience.

My passion for VR is unwavering, and I hope to make my ideas reality.