My oldest son is named Kirk. His nickname growing up as you can imagine was “Captain.” I know that I did this to him, but it’s because I’m such a fan of Star Trek!
Many of the technologies highlighted on the show over the years were more fantasy-based than science fiction. Technologies like faster-than-light travel, teleportation, and the holodeck in particular seemed to be improbable.
I’ve read that we could have tricorder-like devices within 10 years, but I was really shocked when I recently read about new developments in technology that could be a precursor to a holodeck. This technology is called 3D Haptics.
3D Haptics provide three dimensional images with solid shapes and forms. Through the use of ultrasonic sound waves, 3d Haptics can simulate a solid surface. The ultrasonic sound waves can be modulated to push back against your hand when you attempt to touch the three dimensional image. They also simulate textures such as smooth, soft, flexible and furry.
Imagine the real world applications for this technology. A holodeck may not be feasible at this time, but it could allow scholars to examine realistic simulations of historical artifacts. Where I think this technology would be of immediate use is remote presence.
You could have face-to-face meetings with people around the world. And surgeons could better perform remote surgeries. Soldiers could have realistic meetings with their families, and astronauts could visit the highly radioactive moons of Jupiter from a distance.
If you are interested in learning more, visithttp://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2015/8/189834-touching-the-virtual/fulltext
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