7 Predictions for How VR and AR Will Shape Our World

Like rocket ships and ray guns, virtual reality is linked in our imaginations with the future.

We can thank movies like Tron and The Matrix for that. Nevertheless, the year is 2020 (“the Future!”), and we’re still not plugging ourselves into elaborate virtual worlds.

Instead, we’re in an everlasting quarantine, uploading goofy cat videos to YouTube. So what happened? VR and AR technology exists, and it’s even quite sophisticated. But the impetus to really use it has, until now, been lacking.

But things are changing. The coronavirus lockdowns have spurred the growth of virtual communications technologies, such as the Zoom app. It’s even possible that our newfound, collective hypochondria will speed the adoption of virtual reality in the coming decade.

7 Predictions for How VR and AR Will Shape Our World

VR and AR: The Future of Reality

So what, you may want to know, is the difference between AR and VR?

First, the basics. VR stands for “virtual reality,” and AR stands for “augmented reality.” Virtual reality represents an immersion in a completely simulated world. The world of our everyday, waking world has no business here.

Augmented reality, on the other hand, is a way of “enhancing” our everyday reality. For instance, superimposing stats and information on our visual experience. Think Google Glass.

Now, with that out of the way, let’s take a look at seven wild predictions for how AR and VR will reshape the world.

1. A New Dimension of Love

Amidst epidemic loneliness, the marriage of VR and artificial intelligence programs could lead to virtual “lovers.” Films such as Blade Runner: 2049 have already explored this possibility.

And it’s not a great leap to imagine today’s virtual assistants evolving into something more…intimate.

2. Better Communication

This could be huge. If “social distancing” is here to stay, VR and AR apps may step in to fill the void.

For instance, all schooling may move to remote learning in the near future. The use of sophisticated VR tech would make this transition easier.

3. The End of Screen Addiction

AR technology, in particular, may replace phone screens in the future. Instead of smartphones, we may rely on, say, AR contact lenses.

So, instead of staring at our phones, we’ll stare blankly into space, which is even creepier.

4. Greater Global Connection

Someday, immersive VR may be leveraged to knit the human family even more closely together. Groups and businesses will communicate more freely and more naturally. And we’ll see and experience the world in ways we never have before.

5. Office Obsolescence

The death knell of the office space has been sounded by the arrival of COVID-19. Or so most are inclined to think.

And if that’s the case, VR and AR technology will ease this evolution away from office buildings and toward more personal workspaces.

6. Digisex

Well, you knew we had to mention this.

If our first point envisioned the evolution of virtual lovers, then it’s natural that virtual sex will follow. Businesses like KIIROO are already hard at work developing teledildonic sex toys (it’s a real thing).

7. …Where No One Has Gone Before

Finally, we can imagine a virtual civilization that spans the solar system. VR telepresence technology may allow users to inspirit robotic probes on or around other planets.

So even if you don’t have enough cash to join Elon Musk’s Martian civilization, you can at least plunge between Saturn’s rings or skim the prominences of the sun.

The Future is Virtual

Technology is evolving, and VR and AR systems are beginning to come into their own. These are just a few predictions, but we can be certain that the future of virtual reality will be wilder than anything we can imagine.

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