Thursday, April 14, 2011

The Chapter 3 Integration of the Physical Body with the Digital Self

What I really enjoy in the book is when chapter 3 talks about the integration of the physical body with the digital self. Technology falling into two types of computing (VR) Virtual Reality, and Ubiquitous computing, "the users interact with the computer to create a simulated reality". When I read this what came to mind was the virtual world of a video game, and the creation. Before, we can only see images though a computer screen with no connect to reality, but now will be able have a game experience in the form of virtual reality. Connecting your body to the game with peripheral devices such as glasses, head mounted display, three dimensional interactive sound, and body suits. "It is about simulating the full ensemble of sense data that make up the 'real' experience." This made me wonder, sports games are a great example of this. NBA 2K11, the National Basketball Association annual makes a game that gets more, and more realistic. One of their latest features of the game ISO Motion: every player in the NBA had to put on a body suite, and perform different types their signature basketball dribbling moves, so the computer and mimic the moves to enhancing all gamers experience with the actual NBA players playing style. The graphics are remarkable, appearance of these players are so realistic its not even funny. The computer is able to reconstruct the facial appearance for every player, and their different emotion throughout the course of the game. It includes Kobe Bryant's famous fade-away jumper, and LeBron James famous high flying dunks. Even watching the game of basketball on actual television, when players get injured the computer will be able to analyze how he got injured, and what he did wrong (the cause of the injury), and then implement it on to the game. Also, the Xbox360 has an new feature call 'Motion-plus' where the computer picks up the movement of the user, and projects it on to you television screen ( no wires, no head set, no plugs) making the virtual world reality!

3 comments:

  1. It's funny that we are all looking for the most realistic experience when it comes to video games and movies and such and the 'real' experience is usually right outside our doors...

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  2. Interesting, but this isn't chapter 3.

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