Microsoft Plans VR Simulation of Everything? 217
Ian Lamont writes "Microsoft recently updated ESP, a virtual reality modeling platform that until now has primarily been used to model aircraft and flight simulations. Microsoft has plans to expand it to other industries such as real estate and urban planning, but one of the most interesting possibilities could be what one observer refers to as a 'simulation of everything,' based on Virtual Earth and perhaps even user-generated content. Indeed, Microsoft's research chief has been promoting the idea of commerce applications and other tools built on top of what he calls the 'Spatial Web', a blend of 3D, video, and location-aware technologies. He gave an example of a shopkeeper creating 3D models of his store's interior and goods with Photosynth and then uploading the results into a large 3D model of local shopping district. Customers could 'visit' the area, browse products, and order them for real-world delivery."
Hmm, sounds familiar... (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:I've never understood this sort of thing (Score:5, Interesting)
gah. (Score:4, Interesting)
this smacks of first life... http://www.getafirstlife.com/ [getafirstlife.com]
at the end of the day I can see the appeal of virtual models of real events, for example
1. police officers using stereoscopic cameras to build a very, very detailed model of the crime scene that can be explored later on or shown to a jury
2. virtual walk through of museums, natural wonders or education exhibits
but shopping and other mundane aspects of life? the obvious comment is that it will waste power, take longer and never be as satisfying as the real thing.
that said, if you can build me a holodeck then I am pretty sure I will never leave it, nothing could be as important as the simulated Monica Belluci and her simulated identical sisters.
Re:I've never understood this sort of thing (Score:2, Interesting)
Imagine, for a moment, we had true direct neural interface control of a full-3D "camera" and say a keyboard's worth of virtual "keys." (I'm using this as an example, because it is theoretically within our short-term technological capabilities, as opposed to having to make a program that understands everything we "think" and then interprets those commands).
I could use this technology to create a duplicate of the real world where I walk down an aisle and browse goods, see them on shelves, etc. Or I could use it to create a more streamlined version, where I display options and selections in a way that is impossible in physical space, allowing me to sort, select, filter, and save selections in a way I cannot in real life. Certainly, there are niche applications where being able to look at an item is valuable - someone a couple comments over mentioned curtains. But that doesn't necessarily have to be integrated into a "walk around the store" environment. Those features should appear integrated into a more streamlined process. There are quite a few websites that give you a "3D view" of products nowadays. Assuming VR technology becomes commonplace, I'm sure such things will exist in any digital marketplace.
I think the thing to remember is that simulating reality is useful in instances where we want to train people to interact with reality. VR for better flight sims, combat training, medical procedures, and so on could be incredibly valuable once we have the I/O and realism to reasonably simulate them. But shopping is an area that benefits more from shucking the trappings of reality than it does from emulating them. Why spend thirty seconds scanning the shelves for the item you want, when you can instead just input the name or category and have the available options presented to you?