Ground breaking vision or still "inside the box"?
Last week Google released a video showing what they see as the future of Augmented Reality (AR). It is very interesting that Google is busy with this topic, but do they make a compelling forecast or is it simply another smartphone interface?
There are a lot more very cool but also very scary future visions about AR.
In theory, as in practice, AR promises to be a marvelous tool, erasing our weaknesses and allowing us to enjoy an artificial “clairvoyance” in a human made mixed reality. The technological evolution that has brought us to the doorstep of AR has often been slow and stunted as we have tested its limits. However, how much of this technological delay is be due to our own, self-imposed limits? Could we be slowing down the process because we are afraid of the changes life with AR might bring? The internet has already taken on a major role in our lives, for better and (arguably) for worse, with its share of abuses concerning our privacy in social media, invasive marketing, cyber-pirates and prying governments. Maybe we aren’t ready for AR as we are just getting accustomed to the excesses of the internet; maybe the idea of losing our last bastion of privacy, or being disconnected from our own instincts and consciousness makes us dizzy and apprehensive.
To develop the subject of AR we’re organizing three events linked to the “Augmented Society.” First, we’ll have a debate focusing on societal constraints limiting a hypothetical utopian AR future. Second, we’re offering a two-day workshop, which will be the perfect opportunity to think about the future of AR, and visualize your concepts in viral-ready mock-up videos. Three experts on video, AR and media will guide the workshop and the results will be shown in the DEAF program on Saturday. Finally, “Augmented Society: Meet the Scene” will be a great opportunity to extend your network and continue the discussion started during the debate in a more informal setting.
Join us during DEAF2012 to gather information, develop your comprehension of the subject and share your visions of the phenomenon.
