Asynchronous Reality: go back in time with mixed reality

A new search for Sensing, Interaction & Perception Lab of the Federal Polytechnic School of Zurich in Switzerland conceptualizes a working day with its project named Asynchronous Reality. The idea is to show how environments with sensors could allow colleagues to annotate objects in the physical environmentunderstand by this holographic messages that absentees will be able to consult on their return.

As you will have understood, like the answering machine, it is possible to consult its messages, with the difference that these are now physically contextualized to the environment, a bit like the holographic recordings shown throughout the games. Horizon of Guerrilla Games.

“We are located in the same place, but at different times, so it is the same here, but a different now. […] We can make sense of events as they happen in the shared environment,” says Holz, assistant professor of computer science at ETH Zurich.

This work raises interesting questions about acclimatization to new forms of interpersonal communication that may be more common in years to come. Will the audience really enter a room and leave a holographic message for someone absent?

If the practice may seem slower than sending an SMS or using instant messaging, the feeling of presence can nevertheless make the thing as interesting as it is relevant. It is then up to us to replay ad vitam æternam the key moments of our existence. However, for this to work, the quality of reproduction and distribution must be irreproachable, otherwise we will soon return to our good old habits.

In response to employees requesting to work remotely, bosses around the world continue to establish and reflect on methods that can preserve the sense of presence. Some companies like Apple, Google and Meta are working on headsets and services to go far beyond simple video chat windows and reinvent, fuel new communication paradigms. The porn industry should also rush in with, in particular, the future possibility of materializing their stars in your living room.

“We can bring part of the office home and be co-located,” Holz explained. “I think the technical feasibility will probably be there much sooner than when we figure out what is actually desirable. »

In other words, the workplace is changing and While ‘asynchronous reality’ may not represent exactly how offices will expand between physical locations in the future, this research may nevertheless give us some idea of ​​what lies ahead.

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