The holodecks of the Star Trek universe once captivated millions of people’s imaginations. For the unfamiliar, holodecks were rooms that became any setting you wanted, from a dojo to a sprawling valley in Austria. While today’s reality bending technologies don’t quite reach the same level on integration, advances in the industry are shaking things up. Google’s Tilt Brush turns your room into a personal graffiti studio while esi-group is building a tool for industrial product pitches. The virtualization of fabricated reality with digital tools isn’t anything new. Nissan’s Gran Turismo Academy trains pro gamers to be pro drivers using the realistic racing game Gran Turismo. This year, the advantages of virtual reality training has landed the programs alumni a ban from Britain’s premier racing tournament. NASA started using early virtual reality with flight simulators in 1959. The turning point bringing this technology to the masses has been the analogous VR/AR headwear.
The initial push into consumers lives were Google Glass and the Occulus Rift headset, but the move has slowed down since the HTC Vive. Everyone from Samsung to Dell has some version of the VR headset. As the race for smaller and smaller transistors heats up, we’re likely to see the landscape change. Google Glass was premature to market, lacked positive consumer sentiment and because of ithat ultimately failed as a flagship of the augmented reality sector. However as our smartphones become more powerful and various wireless technologies come into greater maturity, we are likely to see new attempts at the eye wear of the future.
As with last month’s outlook on nanotechnologies and advanced materials, which have some heavy implications for the VR/AR industry, VCA team member Ethan Harden has prepared an outlook on the future of augmented and virtual reality. His report goes in depth about the future of these technologies, their mediums, and the mix of revenue streams projected to grow in this industry. You can download the outlook here.
Ethan is a Sr. Financial Analyst at Stantec, a Top 10 design firm awarded by Engineering News Record. He works as a financial consultant primarily serving water and wastewater municipalities across the country. His focus is to provide value to his clients through technical financial planning, cost-of-service, plant-investment fee and affordability financial modeling.
Ethan’s enthusiasm to work in a fast-paced, volatile and varying environment has led him to venture capital to employ the full business acumen he has developed. He is looking to immerse himself in venture capital to gain the knowledge and understanding of the fundraising process in order to be prepared for his next opportunity.
He holds a degree in Finance, Marketing and a Masters in Business Administration from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.
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