Facing Reality

They’ll either see like a floating car or they’ll be transported magically to the beach. But that’s what we currently work with and it’s important

Dr. Michael Nebeling is a current professor in the University of Michigan, with a focus on the Information Interaction Lab, a renowned organization that has benefited the field of computer generated images in ways almost unimaginable. In an interview, he talked about the uses for Augmented and Virtual reality, while also explaining the distinctions of each topic.

“It’s important that the next generation workforce is equipped with the tools to understand these technologies, anticipate issues and to better design experiences,” Michael Ne-

The Possibilities are Endless

beling explains that the current lack of engagement and understanding shown by the working-age population and the eventual transition by workers as better training at a lower cost are among the many benefits of Virtual Reality.

Virtual Reality also introduces the opportunity to “train for emergency situations and active shooter scenarios,” where realistic physical opportunities cannot be simulated, as stated by Dr. Nebeling, ethics and other motives can hamper training for these scenarios, and VR gives the ability to make the sit-

There is a push already from several companies, including Meta, but many others as well. To make AR and VR a reality

-Michael Nebeling

uation as genuine as possible.

Other useful benefits, as Dr. Nebeling explains, can “arise within the medical field, where in specific environments, for example, clinical settings or education, it will also play an important role in the future.” This is all because of Virtu al Reality’s advantage by us ing “computer generated simu lation of 3D images and or an environment,” explaining the more technical side of Virtual Reality and how it functions.

Virtual reality is perfect for situations which are impossible to accomplish in the physical world, but is limited by the amount of interaction with the actual world. Unlike augmented reality, which includes both computer generated images and parts of actual images, virtual reality is confined only in a digital environment.

However, AR is much more difficult to apply in a fashion where the general public can find an advantage over its disadvantages. As Michael explains, “We don’t actually have the hardware yet to support everyday kind of use. We want the form factor for AR headsets to be like glasses and that is very hard to manufacture.” The technology actually doesn’t exist as

Jenny Do is a former student of the University of Santa Barbara who studied Computer Science, and has had a long-term interest in Virtual and Augmented Reality, and has made several advances in her understanding of this field. Her interview gave great definitions of virtual reality and also gave great ad- vice for the future generations.

As Jenny Do details further, some rather distinctive statements are made, with a theoretical but achievable statements such as, “That’s why you see many people who go to, you know, these like 3D spaces and like, they’ll either see like a floating car or they’ll be transported magically to the beach.” thing, these are all free and it’s super easy. And besides that, if you like working with physical things, a raspberry pie is like

You don’t know whether, so if I draw some graffiti on your virtual reality property, so what, do you really own this

When asked about advice for the future generations, all she had to say was “If you like data science, go ahead and start learning. If you like computer science, I don’t know, pick up Python or some-

There’s people that spend more time in online, social settings - Michael Nebeling Warning the People

$40.” Getting into computer science isn’t that difficult, but the journey can be challenging. By exploring this field one step at a time, future generations have a chance in computer science due to the availability of cheap parts and simple lessons.

When questioned about the future of technology, she is amazed by the pace the world is going, with

Henry Liu