Step inside the future

Virtual reality will let us understand the world in ways photography never could

FOR THE past eight years, I’ve been working on virtual reality and have seen the tangible impact of being able to feel a story with the entire body. More than photographs, even more than 360 degree video, virtual reality is much closer to the way we experience the real world: spatial, navigable, viscerally comprehensible. Standing on a virtual street in Syria when a bomb goes off, you understand why so many Syrians have become refugees. Being in a virtual room with two sisters as they try to protect a third sibling from an exboyfriend’s fatal attack, you feel the true horror of domestic violence and guns. Racing a virtual car down the F1 Singapore track, you confront the challenges and fears faced by real drivers.

The power and reach of this medium will only grow. The way it uses physical space as much as visuals will find dramatic application in everything from important real-world stories to gaming to interactive narratives.

The technology behind 3-D capture for creating these experiences is also making rapid advances. Companies like 8i are combining the beauty and realism of 360 degree video with the immersive walk-around capacity of virtual reality. Meanwhile, chip makers Intel and Qualcomm are offering ways to use your mobile phone to scan environments and people using depth sensing. (I was allowed into the R&D space at Qualcomm two years ago and watched an early prototype scan a purple teddy bear and render it quickly into a 3-D model with gorgeous texture.)

PROJECT TANGO