Ready Player… You? Virtual Reality awaits with the latest episode of the CORDIScovery podcast

Digital communication has flourished for many of us during the pandemic. We have accepted, indeed welcomed what may have been novel methods of contact for many of us. So, are we now hungry for the next evolution in digital communications? Is there a virtual reality revolution around the corner? This episode of the CORDIScovery podcast invites you down the rabbit hole into a whole new world of virtual possibilities…

Digital Economy

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The potential of virtual reality (VR) symbolises many of the most positive perceptions of the future. The idea of fully immersive, realistic digital environments that can allow you to get completely lost in another world or a gripping narrative (or both) is incredibly enticing. In popular culture, probably the most famous example is the ‘Star Trek’ holodeck that generally chimed with that show’s more utopian view of the future. Of course, there are some cultural works that have expressed a more cautious tone to VR or even a dire dystopian warning alarm, again the most famous example probably being 1999’s seminal film ‘The Matrix’.

So, is VR just another bone of contention between screen-addicted adolescents and their frazzled parents? VR is indeed closely associated with entertainment, in particular video gaming. As the gaming industry is now larger than the film industry in terms of total revenue, innovation will still come from this sector.

But is there a wider scope of the application of VR beyond our own individual entertainment? Can the inherent characteristics of VR, communicating at a distance but in a space that feels intimate, be harnessed to really revolutionise the way we interact? Can avatars, digital representations of ourselves, foster empathy or are they yet another medium providing a cloak of anonymity that can be abused? And are deep fakes about to go 3D?

Our host Abigail Acton is joined by three EU-funded researchers to answer these burning questions and more. Salvador Alvidrez, Marie Curie Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast is interested in the socio-psychological effects of communication technologies. He is looking at VR and its role in tackling prejudice. Can we use VR to walk around in someone else’s shoes? Veronica Orvalho’s company Didimo has patented technology to generate digital humans. Her inventions have been used by Microsoft, Universal and Sony and others. And finally, how can the public make the most of VR? I2CAT is making the tech cheaper and more immersive. Sergi Fernandez explains how.

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Keywords

CORDIScovery, CORDIS, Virtual Reality, VR, avatars