Facebook's top VR researcher explains why augmented reality is the future
Augmented reality is the future because it's a lot more socially acceptable than virtual reality. That was the surprising message from Chief Oculus Scientist Michael Abrash at F8.
During his portion of the keynote, when many in attendance may have suspected he would dive more deeply into Oculus' latest virtual reality advancements, Abrash instead laid out an ambitious vision for how how augmented reality will eventually become as ubiquitous as the personal computer.
SEE ALSO:Facebook's first social VR app is cool — but there's a problemThat Oculus' top scientist spent nearly half an hour talking almost exclusively about augmented reality, not virtual reality, may seem surprising, especially considering Facebook just released its first real social VR app for Oculus, Facebook Spaces.
But Abrash made it very clear why Facebook is so heavily invested in augmented reality. In short, virtual reality will never be as ubiquitous as AR, because it will never be socially acceptable to use VR headsets in public, even if you could do so safely.
On the other hand, "full AR," as Abrash described, will only require transparent glasses that look like the eyeglasses people already wear.
"Bright as the future of VR is though, and knowing what my team at Oculus Research is working on I'd say it's very bright indeed, there's one key area that will never be VR's strong suit: always on, go-everywhere, mixed reality," Abrash said.
"Because no matter how good VR gets, few people would be comfortable socializing with someone whose eyes they can't see and social acceptability is an absolute requirement for anything we wear in public."
"Social acceptability is an absolute requirement for anything we wear in public."
That may sound obvious, since anyone who has tried a VR headset could tell you it's not socially acceptable to wear outside a gaming setting. Abrash's remarks, however, were some of the strongest words we've heard yet on why Facebook is investing so heavily in augmented reality.
It's also a bit of a reality check (pun intended) for the VR community. "Bright" as the future of VR is, it suggests there are some very real limits to how far the technology can go.
That doesn't mean that there's no place for virtual reality, however.
"VR will be the most immersive way to interact with the virtual world and it will revolutionize how we work and play," Abrash said.
But if it's not something that will be socially acceptable in public, it raises the question of whether VR will be able to expand beyond its niche appeal. If everyone will have AR glasses in five or 10 years as Abrash predicted, how many people will also want clunky VR headsets?
Featured Video For You
Facebook shows off its brain interface research and... wow
(责任编辑:资讯)
- 23 Peculiar Places of 2023
- Benin held by 10
- This author's 1975 letter shutting down a fan is so hilariously blunt
- Assume the more infectious coronavirus variant is in your community
- Keurig K Mini deal — get $30 off at Target
- 21 Lost and Lonely Cemeteries
- N. Korean diplomats had pressed Kim Jong
- Bill Gates says Android beating Microsoft was his 'greatest mistake'
- How to download the iOS 13 public beta on your iPhone
- Wordle today: The answer and hints for August 29
- 最新研究!英德红茶有助于缓解II型糖尿病
- This fake news simulator is the depressing video game America deserves
- 中国工程院孙其信院士建议大力支持乡村职业经理人培养,农业农村部这样答复
-
Europe now has a huge AI gap, for better or for worse
When it comes to tech, Europe has been on a slightly separate track from the U.S. for a while, but t ...[详细] -
2020 was the year to join TikTok
TikTok dominated internet culture this year. TikTok was the most downloaded app of 2020, according t ...[详细] -
Assume the more infectious coronavirus variant is in your community
UPDATE: Jan. 19, 2021 at 10:10 a.m. EST: On Jan. 15, the CDC reported the more transmissible coronav ...[详细] -
最新研究!英德红茶有助于缓解II型糖尿病_南方+_南方plus随着II型糖尿病T2D)发病率的上升,茶多糖TPs)作为茶叶中分离出的生物活性化合物的抗糖尿病作用受到越来越多的关注。许多报告表明,通过口 ...[详细]
-
Moeko Fujii ,July 18, 2024 The Eyes of Lac ...[详细]
-
How to download the iOS 13 public beta on your iPhone
iOS 13 doesn't come out until the fall (likely in September when new iPhones are released), but you ...[详细] -
□丛晓波今年的“用工荒”蔓延全国,而且程度有些空前,其背后存在多种因素。如媒体分析的中西部经济发展差距缩小、国家惠农政策、留守儿童等等,都有一定道理,但最主要的原因还是,农民工年年“进城”,但年年“进 ...[详细]
-
Hackers steal $4.2 million from cryptocurrency exchange Bitrue
Singaporean cryptocurrency exchange Bitrue has been hacked, with the perps making off with roughly $ ...[详细] -
Tesla's big software update includes something called 'Night Curfew'
Tesla's latest car update is great news for parents who (unwisely?) let their kids borrow the car, a ...[详细] -
全新智造!广东弘科发布自走履带式旋耕机_南方+_南方plus水田纵横,农机驰骋。近日,广东等多地正值“双抢”季。晚稻抢农时具有重要生产意义,种植时间过晚将影响品质和产量,还会增加病虫害发生风险。当前, ...[详细]
- Scientists discover where the huge dinosaur
- What we know about Facebook's 'Supreme Court'
- Opposition vows to revise independent counsel law on probe extension
- Assume the more infectious coronavirus variant is in your community
- Campbell highlights Washington Declaration amid security concerns over Putin
- 1 dead, 1 missing after fishing boat sinks off Jeju Island
- 最新研究!英德红茶有助于缓解II型糖尿病