TECH FUTURE: AR/VR

Even if you've never tried on a VR headset or dabbled in augmented reality, fans of Ernie Cline's Ready Player One will be familiar with some of the concepts around what it might be like to live, work, and play in a digital landscape. Michael Krasny hosted an interesting discussion on NPR's Forum today with senior WIRED editor Peter Rubin and various developers and CEOs from the industry. From NPR: "Holograms you can touch. Cameras that recognize what they see. Clothing you can try on virtually. These are just some of the things tech companies say augmented reality will make possible. But how far off are touchable holograms? And will people actually want to use them? In this hour of Forum we discuss the future of AR, its potential applications and the ethics of mixing computer-generated images with the real world." I found the discussion really interesting, especially when they got into issues around ethics, safe use in society (don't AR and drive!), and our connection and responsibility to the real world. Listen here on NPR.