[MUD-Dev] Virtual worlds as a Society of Mind

[The Xylke]

--- Sean Kelly <sean at ffwd.cx> wrote:

> The project got me thinking of the potential uses of such
> technology, and I came to pretty much the same conclusion that you
> did.  Since wireless is becoming all the rage, why not have things
> offer information about themselves?  There could be neighborhood
> maps, buildings could broadcast building maps and info, etc.  Then
> a robot could nearly eliminate complex pathing and calculate its
> pathing inside a 3D model of the area it's in.  A HUD projected
> onto a car winshield could change colors based on nearby lights,
> arrows could be projected when turn lanes were available, robot
> buses could navigate preset paths and only have to worry about
> collision detection.  The only major downside is it gives a
> would-be terrorist the potential to cause massive damage by
> hacking infrastructure servers.

I believe you are talking about a field of technology called
"Augmented Reality".  Take a look at the How Stuff Works site at:

  http://www.howstuffworks.com/augmented-reality.htm

-- begin article snippet --- 
  Video games have been entertaining us for nearly 30 years, ever
  since Pong was introduced to arcades in the early 1970s. Computer
  graphics have become much more sophisticated since then, and soon,
  game graphics will seem all too real. In the next decade,
  researchers plan to pull graphics out of your television screen or
  computer display and integrate them into real-world
  environments. This new technology, called augmented reality, will
  further blur the line between what's real and what's
  computer-generated by enhancing what we see, hear, feel and smell.

  Augmented-reality displays will overlay computer-generated
  graphics onto the real world.

  On the spectrum between virtual reality, which creates immersible,
  computer-generated environments, and the real world, augmented
  reality is closer to the real world. Augmented reality adds
  graphics, sounds, haptics and smell to the natural world as it
  exists.  You can expect video games to drive the development of
  augmented reality, but this technology will have countless
  applications. Everyone from tourists to military troops will
  benefit from the ability to place computer-generated graphics in
  their field of vision.
--- end article snippet ---
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