November 18, 2014

I might be one of the lucky few who has had the opportunity to try both Google Glass and the Oculus Rift. When I worked at NPR one of our developers owned a pair of Google Glass and would wear them around the building. I got a chance to test them out, play with an NPR beta app and stream some music. At the time the tech seemed pretty cool but after a chance to experience the Oculus Rift, Google Glass appears quaint.

A week ago, after the screening of Interstellar, there was an interactive presentation using Oculus Rift and a computer model of the ship Endurance from the film. They sat us down, strapped on the Oculus Rift and lead us around the Endurance. It wasn’t just cool, I was blown away.

Thinking about the two technologies, while seemingly different on the surface, they’re both tackling similar problems. Glass is complimenting reality while Rift is recreating it. When I think about potential, immersion and disruption, Oculus Rift comes out the clear winner.

Oculus Rift, at the moment, is great for visualizing models, video games and other forms of entertainment, but I want to take it a step further. I can imagine a day where the Oculus Rift is embedded with cameras and sensors that make wearing it outside a practical reality. What would a day of augmented reality look like? I’ll walk you through.

After you wake up, shower and dress, you place your OR head gear on and immediately check your calendar and to-do list on the screen. You scroll through your to-do list using a swipe of the finger. As you head for the door, you take a quick look in your fridge and realize you don’t have time for breakfast, you need to get going.

As you put on your coat the OR tells you that it’s a 15 minute walk to your dentist this morning and you head out. You look down at the sidewalk as you exit your apartment and see arrows highlighting the way to your doctor’s office, which is good as you’re a new patient and don’t know the exact location.

As you start your stroll toward your appointment, you no longer see advertising on the sides of buses or billboards but art work, everywhere. You can switch between pop art, impressionism or surrealism with the flick of a finger.

You’re closer to the doctor’s office more quickly than you had planned and realize you have time for a coffee . There’s one just up the street according to the Rift.

As you leave the coffee shop you see another OR user but see he’s an avatar. He must be playing the massive online role playing game poplar with other Rift users. You’ll see more people dressed as avatars through out the day.

After your dentist appointment you’re headed to lunch with Daphne, a friend you’ve been crushing on for a while. You meet at your favorite cafe and she’s already waiting for you. With the flick of a finger you pull up her personal stats to try to get on her good side, memorize them and pull off your head gear. A little creepy but you risk it.

The friend date went well and you say your goodbyes. As you make your way home your to-do list pings. You’re next to a Safeway and you need to pick up a few things for dinner tonight, you almost forgot! You get home and you realize, you need to call you dad! It’s his birthday today.

We aren’t quite there yet but the tech soon will be small enough that we can wear it without embarrassment or the fear of getting robbed. These examples are just a few ideas of what we’ll be able to do with the Oculus Rift but the future is wide open.

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