At our NYU Future Reality Lab we’ve been working for a long time on a Web based VR project. Because it’s Web based, it also works on old fashioned computers with screens and keyboards.
Meanwhile, one thing that has radically changed in the last two years is that everybody talks through video chat — in particular Zoom. As you know, this is sadly due to the tragic COVID pandemic.
Recently I added a video chat capability to our lab’s VR software. It doesn’t work on VR headsets, but it’s just great on old fashioned computers with screens and keyboards.
Now I use it for all of my Zoom calls. Two years ago that would not have meant anything, but today — because the world has changed — it means everything.
Instead of static Zoom backgrounds, I have live computer graphics all around me in Zoom meetings. I can bring up interactive demos in conversations with colleagues.
Most of the underlying software was written with headset-based virtual reality in mind. But it turns out that it’s also just perfect for face-to-face online conversations.
The craziest part? None of this would not even be a thing, if it weren’t for this terrible pandemic.