“The Holodeck can be ready for your living room as soon as next year.”
We spoke to Colton Jacobs, Product Manager at Omni Virtuix, about holodecks, his new project. He will be a speaker at StoryDrive on October 11.
What do you expect from the “StoryDrive” conference?
StoryDrive will be a window into the future of storytelling via digital media. As the world gets closer to the ideal of true virtual reality, digital interactive stories will become an experience that will change the way we interact with our favorite media. Stories will no longer need to describe a fictional world; instead the world will come to life in front of our very own eyes. Storytellers can create immersive experiences that take full advantage of these new technologies. StoryDrive has the ideal audience to share this message with.
Please describe the uniqueness of your project.
Human senses are either very difficult to mimic or impossible altogether. An author can describe the feeling of walking in a very detailed manner, but nothing will ever replace the feeling of your legs moving beneath you. With the Virtuix Omni, the user is feeling sense of motion, bridging the gap of reality and virtual reality. The Omni will have the user walking through ancient or alien landscapes, climbing the tallest mountains and having their heart pumping with true excitement.
In your opinion, what will be the next trend concerning virtual reality? When will the real holodeck for gamesters be reached?
The holodeck can be ready for your living room as soon as next year. Virtual reality displays no longer require a holodeck room with 360 degree displays. The displays are mounted on the head and truly envelope the user in the virtual world. Virtual reality has become affordable and portable. The current and future trend of virtual reality is to encompass all the senses at once. Virtual reality displays cover sight, surround sound or headphones wrap the user in sound, and wireless motion tracking with the Omni provides locomotion. The future will include haptic feedback for the last sense of touch. Your body will interact seamlessly with the virtual world, because your actual full body is immersed in this virtual world.
Financing the project via Kickstarter was a massive success. In the future, do the users decide whether new technologies prevail or not?
Kickstarter and other crowd-sourcing platforms provide a fantastic opportunity for innovative and forward thinking projects to jump from obscurity to the spotlight in a manner never seen before. This gives the creators the chance to take the daring leap to full commitment to their projects and bring them to market. We cannot be more appreciative of the support that we have garnered from our backers and look to repay them with the best product and service we can provide. Once the Kickstarter period ends, the real work begins.
In five years time, creative entertainment means utilizing all the amazing digital media technology to create worlds that completely immerse the user. The line between real life and digital experiences will continue to dissolve.
Meet Colton Jacobs at StoryDrive Frankfurt on 11 October. Colton will be part of the session Symphony of Senses.
Colton Jacobs is Product Manager at Virtuix and an expert in the field of virtual reality and locomotion systems. Prior to joining Virtuix, Colton worked for several years as Marketing Director of a premier audio system manufacturer. His product development and marketing skills combined with a passion for virtual reality and digital entertainment led him to Virtuix to help develop the ultimate virtual reality experience. Virtuix is on the forefront of interactive technology innovation that will bring our favorite video games and virtual environments to life. Engaging sight and hearing in a story has been the initial goal of virtual reality; the Virtuix Omni opens the possibility to put your full mind and body into the virtual world. Colton lives in Houston, TX, and graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas with a Bachelor degree in Business Management.
