VR
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Background: A common issue in many interactions is that different people have different ideas of what is enjoyable. This comes up a lot when multiple people are trying to decide on a single dinner location, pick a movie to watch, etc. The Issue: In particular, let’s investigate the situation where two people want to go…
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Background: “Augmented reality” (“AR”) headsets (e.g. the Oculus/Meta Quest or the Apple Vision Pro) are capable of overlaying computer screens on top of a view of the real world. From the perspective of the headset-wearer, the virtual screens can entirely cover up any real world objects behind them. The Issue: If a person wears an…
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Background: In smaller homes and apartments, it is likely that most rooms are multi-purpose: a “dining room” might also include a sofa and TV, and a “bedroom” might host an artist’s easel, work desk, yoga mat, exercise bike, and more. This is a practical method of using limited space, but people often find it unpleasant…
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The issue: The presence of windows in a house is a major factor in determining of whether a house is dark and cavern-like or bright and uplifting. Unfortunately, it is usually impractical or impossible to add windows to a home after its has been constructed. Additionally, windows generally have a negative effect on climate control:…
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The Issue: Sometimes, people go to new locations and feel a sense of unease (Figure 1), due to their lack of familiarity with the local surroundings. Proposal: Thankfully, the solution is easy! The tourist can simply tour while wearing a VR that has been calibrated to change the exotic foreign landscape into a familiar environment…
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Background: Birdwatching is a hobby that appeals to many completionists who enjoy trying to see every possible bird. The Issue: Unfortunately, many species of bird have gone extinct. Some notable examples: Fortunately, birdwatching as a hobby requires only two senses: sight and hearing. Most birdwatchers do not consider it to be strictly necessary to touch,…
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Background: Since laptops are so convenient and portable, many people work in locations that are not set up for long-term ergonomic comfort (for example, dining room tables or coffeeshop counters, e.g. Figure 1). The issue: Since these locations were never designed for laptop use, they are typically set up in such a way that the…
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Background: People generally enjoy having a good view from their home or office windows. However, some locations have a bad view (e.g. a dark alley or cement wall) or cannot accommodate windows at all (e.g. interior offices or basements). Proposal: Modern flatscreen displays can be as large as office windows (and some types consume very…
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Background: In the United States, an employed person has two conflicting goals: To commute to their job as fast as possible (ideally by “hyperloop” or helicopter), …and to live as far away from their workplace as possible. To these ends, thousands of man-hours have gone into new legislation preventing residences near places of employment (zoning…
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Background: Currently, there is no easy way to have the experience of becoming a tiny ant [*]. This is a shortcoming that could not be addressed—until now, thanks to modern VR technology! [*] You could watch the 1989 film Honey I Shrunk the Kids, but that isn’t an interactive experience. Proposal: Thanks to virtual reality,…
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