Microsoft's HoloLens Could Change AR As We Know It

Badass Design For Microsoft's Futurist Goggles

Rudimentary forms of augmented reality have existed for over a century, with baseline products like the Videoplace and EyeTap capturing public appeal only briefly, but none have come close to the zeal surrounding Microsoft's newest invention. The HoloLens is a new tech product idea, which was shown at a Washington convention last week and received many positive reviews by visitors after they tried it on. An augmented reality (AR) headset, HoloLens projects 3D objects onto your living room, workspace, man cave, bathtub, and any other conceivable environment. The possibilities are endless. And the best part is, it allows you to interact with the real world, instead of entering a virtual one, where social interaction is put on hold until you remove the goggles. A simple finger movement or hand gesture enables you to move, control, and operate specific images and digital shapes directly in your field of vision, meaning that scene where Tony Stark transports files between computers just got a little less impossible-sounding.

The device is very unlike the Oculus Rift, which as some of you might know, transports your mind to a whole other environment completely separate from reality, like a floating utopian city, the middle of a sheep herd, or in bed with your celebrity of choice. If it weren't for your sense of smell, you'd be tricked into thinking you were really there. Microsoft's new product will instead excel at revolutionizing the way you interact with plain and ordinary furniture and household objects, to create an experience unlike anything else on the market. In one of the demo's, users could use their fingers to chip away at a coffee table and reveal a pit of magma inside. Check that out in the following video:


Although it sounds like entertainment was the main takeaway from the event, I can assure you that will not be the headset's only purpose. I can see the tech developing to a point where doctors could use it during an operation to more safely handle the procedure, I can see it entering military training camps so soldiers can prepare for combat in intense simulations, I can see it speeding up anyone's day job, really (especially engineers, who'd love to see their ideas come to life in a matter of seconds). There may come a time when dozens of applications are found, but to find that out, we will have to be patient. HoloLens plans to be sold to consumers at roughly the same time as Windows 10's release, which likely won't be until Q4 2015.

I approve of the HoloLens, and not only because it could seriously enhance my video gaming experience. I also value the device because the only alternative, as we become increasingly connected with our technology, seems to be 24/7 virtual reality, and that is certainly a depressing thought. With the upcoming release of the HoloLens, and with future revisions by other companies to the idea of AR, we can expect an uplifting/harmless modification to this limited reality in which all of us have been confined to since the beginning of time, as opposed to a divergence from it.

So, that's it for this week. The Microsoft HoloLens shows a lot of promise, and was definitely my most exciting discovery for the past seven days. While this blog post was a bit on the shorter side, I now plan to research the coolest news and compile them all into a mammoth article at the end of each week. I'm sorry that it took me this long to understand what my goal should be, but you can start to expect unmitigated, condensed, and timely posts from here on out. Adios, everyone, and thanks for all the support.

CES 2015: A Small List Of The Biggest Things

In case you didn’t know, CES stands for Consumer Electronics Show, an internationally-recognized private tech event showcasing new products from dozens of companies hoping to either change the world, or entertain the crowd with a crazy idea put to life. Held in Las Vegas for a week every January, CES has been going on since the late ‘60’s, serving as the nesting grounds for a number of products that all had groundbreaking potential. Below, I list some of the ones from this year that stood out to me, and in the near future, could prove to be major successes.

Although there were tons of cool things that probably wowed the crowd for a fair amount of time, like fully waterproof smartphone cases, self-adjusting belts, and dancing spider robots, I’ll try to only focus on what can’t be ignored, simply because of the promise they show.

Let’s Start With Cars

Mercedes Benz F015 Design

A handful of cars were featured, including the Mercedes Benz F 015, an electrically powered autonomous vehicle with the car seatsable to form a circle, to make for easier conversation and passive travel. Also shown was the Volkswagen Passat, which similarly offers autonomous driving, but only in certain situations like crash avoidance. Other cars focused on ways the car could connect with our devices, in order to carry out tasks like lock car doors with a smartwatch. These concepts and models all bring attention to the fact that cars are undergoing some major transformations, and as the next decade approaches, we will immerse ourselves in a rich landscape of fully autonomous, electrically powered, sleek and eco-friendly driving machines. A promotional video of the F015 can be found here.

Tesla Model X Crossover Vehicle

In my opinion, the Tesla Model X stood out among the other cars at the show. With a tablet-like display in the front, plenty of space, and upgraded design features, these Tesla cars plan to go on market in the third quarter of 2015. Sales are expected to be high, as the Model X will be a crossover, combining different parts of SUV’s and passenger vehicles for an outward appearance and degree of functionality most drivers can appreciate. What’s probably most impressive about the Roadster 3.0 (as it’s also called) is not its look or feel, but its more efficient battery, which has now soared to an estimated 300-400 miles/charge. This added benefit, coupled with a very modern look, could spell doom for traditional autos as EV’s dominate the roadway and lead us to a better, less ecologically degrading future.

This next announcement covers something nonphysical, but still very important. Toyota plans to release thousands of its fuel cell patents to the public, all for free. Information covering the potential future of automobile transportation will soon be viewable by any one of us, free of charge. This will hopefully energize the car industry, and that's just what they're counting on. The spokesman, Bob Carter, said in a speech that "the first generation hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, launched between 2015 and 2020, will be critical [and require] unconventional collaboration”.

Innovative Wearables And Accessories

The Withings Activité Pop (AP) is a smartwatch that debuted at the event, and surprised passersby because it looked alarmingly similar to a Swiss watch. Their gasps turned into shrieks upon learning that it offered a helluva lot more than the overpriced, single use counterparts. With a price tag 3 times less than its predecessor, the watch immediately stands out as a wearable because almost anyone can afford it, and it retains the same elegance and beauty of traditional watches. If that’s not enough, the AP offers a range of new features that most standard watches don't provide: it's a fitness tracker, changes time automatically, is waterproof, and even tracks your sleep cycles!

Now for a futuristic, scarier-sounding wearable: the Thync headset. Presented by a startup who raised millions last year from their Kickstarter, it can apparently change the mood of the wearer by "stimulating the neural pathways that lead to your brain" (Business Insider). As a test of merit, an attendee tried it on and noticed a strong change in behavior, feeling more energetic and conversational as the day progressed. While this doesn’t tell us much, it does reveal that this device, with enough love and care, could replace beverage stimulants like coffee in the near future. No pictures could be taken, so we'll just have to guess how this big piece of metal and plastic will attach to our heads.

CES also gave a chance for a recent startup, The Eye Tribe, to show their product, an eye tracker than when applied to one's software, can follow your gaze and carry out orders like flipping a page, aiming a gun, or closing tabs. This is insane, and the tech may start to appear in the consumer market this year. I am looking forward to the eye tracker, as well as other products that will eventually reshape what it means to interact with technology. -->

A smaller discovery of mine, that still needed mentioning, was this incredibly fast phone battery charger called the StoreDot. Clocking in at 30 seconds, you probably thought it sounds too impressive to be true, and you're right- for the time being, its amp requirements are far beyond even the best of the best, so unfortunately we'll have to wait until 2017. When that time comes, you may never have to worry about running out of juice again.

Other Cool Tech

A Japanese communications robot, with the face and body of a middle aged women, was tentatively revealed by Toshiba. Her movements are a bit jerky, and her vocabulary limited, but this prototype still amazed the crowd, albeit in a strange, creepy sort of way. The company stated that their goal is to bolster the relationship between humans and nonhumans, first in the service industry by speaking with bedridden elderly people, and later in other social contexts. ChihiraAico’s production is nothing short of impressive, but there have been earlier versions boasting similar motor capabilities. Nonetheless, the manner in which she moved and spoke could signal the beginning of an era where our symbiotic connectedness with machine intelligence grows closer to reality (see, I’m already saying “her”).

Another technology showcased that captured my attention was the IO Hawk, a two wheeled motorized skateboard, which moves at a speed of around 5 mph when you shift your feet forward. Some think it will replace the Segway, and even most street vehicles of choice, like the scooter and skateboard. At 22 pounds and nearly $2K, it will be hard convincing most interested buyers to consider a purchase, but the bigger idea of getting to and from places in a jiffy, without looking silly, was enough for me to add it to my wish list. See it in action here.

 

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That's about everything I decided to cover in this blog post. Overall, I was impressed by the gadgets and gizmos that the tech event had to offer. A wide range of products and devices were featured that will soon enter our homes, workplace, and fundamentally alter how we perceive the world. If you'd like more information on anything I mentioned, I will provide links down below for your ultimate viewing pleasure. Take care everyone, and stay tuned for next week's debriefing.

Overview of cars featured at event

Glimpse of Tesla Model X interior

Toyota fuel cell announcement

Withings Activite Pop smartwatch

“Thync” mood-changing headset

Eye tracker from The Eye Tribe, promotional video

StoreDot phone battery

Creepy Toshiba robot

IO Hawk motorized skateboard

Panoply of articles discussing the best CES had to offer: #1, #2, #3, #4

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Hello, readers! My name is Case, and I'm a teen living in Silicon Valley, an area of the world where world-changing ideas are not uncommon. In recent years, I have found a passion for science, technology, space and the future. My interest began in 2012 when I read through a timeline of predictions. It gave me a better idea of what to expect, and my interest continues today. The purpose of this blog is to educate others who may be unaware of the tremendous growth we're facing, and offer them a fresh outlook on the change, large or small, that we all must accept in this increasingly connected and urbanized world.

If you're wondering whether this blog is worth your time to follow, just know that it will stay true to its goal of delivering the most recent information about emerging concepts in a way that gets you to think deeply about their future implications. I will try my best to write 1-2 times a week, depending on how much progress is worth reporting on. You can expect all of my articles to contain text, and sometimes video (especially if a new product was just announced).