Looking at the development of AR and VR technologies over the past decades it’s impossible not to be astonished. For this impulse, I looked at various TED-Talks that were given between the years 2010 and 2019, each reflecting on different projects and (at that time) new developments in the respective field. Seeing as these days, the time the average human spends in front of screens is higher than ever, it makes sense to view AR/VR-Applications as one of the most impactful and biggest mediums of the modern age.
Through all of the TED-Talks I was able to gather one big takeaway: AR/VR allows us to experience things rather than just watch them. Through AR/VR we can simulate doing things ourselves instead of observing, which has both physiological and psychological effects: the body and mind react in authentic ways, causing feelings/reactions such as an adrenaline rush, a jolt of fear, a pounding heart etc., making it a much more intense way of experiencing other realities. The TED-talks presented projects that partially date back many years, thus being far from recent these days, and STILL, the project, such as the 2010 presentation of a Microsoft feature that extended a map into a 3D-space, basically showing what we know as Google Street View today, is incredible.
I think all presenters, and I share their point of view, are convinced that VR/AR is much more than just a gadget or technology. It is a new, enhanced form of communication, allowing us to get immersed in worlds and realities in a way that we will remember on a whole new level: we basically live through them as we experience not only the visual, but all the physical and emotional effects of the augmented or virtual environment.
Further Interest
https://www.ted.com/talks/catherine_allen_the_future_of_virtual_realityhttps://www.ted.com/talks/blaise_aguera_y_arcas_augmented_reality_maps
https://www.ted.com/talks/jessica_ochoa_hendrix_how_virtual_reality_turns_students_into_scientists
