Melbourne Knowledge Week explores ideas and actions about our future. With a strong focus on emerging technologies, the VEDT attended a guest lecture on VR and AR from Frank Vetere, Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Melbourne. Within the heritage meat market in North Melbourne, the journey of AR and VR was shown with amazing modern applications. From the movie ‘Metropolis’ in 1927, to Ivan Sutherland’s ground-breaking AR machine in 1967, there are regular 40-year cycles in AR and VR concepts. The most striking development in these technologies today is the use of emotion; adding this emotional element allows the user to feel more invested and connected to the activity. The first example of an emotional application was with an AR dog. Via a projection from a live AR headset, an AR dog appeared on the stage. The dog, wagging its tail and tilting its head, responded to cues and movements from the user. When AR balls were introduced (in a real basket) the dog began to jump, yipping and yapping with excitement. The user then threw the AR balls on the stage for the dog to collect. Both dog and AR balls responded to their surroundings by […]
