                  Rishon
Sabri, 2024To contact the author, please e-mail: rishonsabri@gmail.com |
Case Study: Holodecks
 In Star Trek the holodeck is a device that
creates a virtual reality, using photons shaped by forcefields to
visualise a program in its database, first seen in the episode of Star
Trek the animated series in The Practical Joker in 1974. In later
series of Star Trek, primarily Star Trek: The Next Generation the
holodeck became a frequently used plot device to explore stories in
settings other than the starships in Star Trek. The virtual reality
created by the holodeck is almost indistinguishable from the real
world, allowing for extremely immersive and lifelike recreation and
simulations, from flight training to trying to be Sherlock Holmes. The
Holodeck is a prime example of science fiction technology which may not
currently be available in the way it is portrayed in television but has
equivalents and can be compared to our current technology in many ways.In this case, the holodeck's vision can be seen in real life in the form of current technologies such as holographic, virtual and augmented reality, where you are placed in a digital simulation of reality, incorporating a mix of digital reality and real life objects. Kalin Stoyanchev is the Project Lead at RNDR, a leading cloud graphics company, and he wants to make the Star Trek holodeck a reality working in partnership with holographic technology company Light Field Lab to deliver the industry's first end to end holographic content display technologies without the use of VR headsets. "With new technology and systems like RNDR that will decentralize and improve computer power across multiple industries, the far-out idea of a holodeck is becoming more of a not-so-distant reality," Stoyanchev, said. Another project, the Mission Rehearsal Exercise (MRE) Project at the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies, is creating a virtual reality training environment in which real-life scenarios be played out. A report on the prototype clearly stated the project was "inspired by Star Trek's Holodeck". In this case science fiction has provided a goal for technology, making artificial and virtual reality technology as close as possible to the technology of the holodeck. The advances and developments that have been publicised so far demonstrate how we are gradually getting closer today to that level of technology.
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