Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made an appearance on the invite-only Clubhouse app where he dished about his firm’s progress in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology.
Under the name ‘Zuck23,’ Zuckerberg said ‘we should be teleporting, not transporting’ and believes the futuristic work being done at Facebook’s Reality Labs group could soon make it happen – at least virtually.
‘One of the things that [VR] will unlock is the ability to live anywhere you want and be present in another place and really feel like you are there,’ the CEO said.
‘It is going to unlock a lot of economic opportunity because people will be able to live where they want and increasingly work where they want and kind of teleport into place.’
‘I am also pretty optimistic about the impact on climate, in reducing the amount of commuting that people have to do.’
‘I think the advance in electric cars in reducing emissions is great and exciting, but I tell my team that it is easier to move bits of atoms around so we should be teleporting, not driving.’
Zuckerberg also discussed AR with the idea that the technology will have to be made in a socially acceptable pair to thick-rimmed glasses, which may be hinting that Facebook is currently working on a device.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made an appearance on the invite-only Clubhouse app where he dished about his firm’s progress in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology
Clubhouse is a new social media platform that is audio-only and users must be invited to join – but it is being called ‘the world’s buzziest new social network.’
Zuckerberg was not scheduled to participate in ‘The Good Time Show,’ a talk show in the app, but made a surprise appearance for about 15 minutes to discuss VR and AR technology.
The main focus of Facebook’s Reality Labs seems to be creating this sense of presence without physically being at the location.
Zuckerberg explained that the progress is steady and the team is working on foundational technologies that will lead to the feeling of being with another person without having to travel.
‘There is getting all the graphics and visual systems to really feel like you are immersed in the space,’ he said.
‘There’s a long path of technology that needs to get done to kind of get that to be as realistic as you would want on VR.
However, AR, according to Zuckerberg, is ‘a whole other game.’
This is because unlike VR that makes use of the entire display and immerses users in a different world, AR allows users to place things into the physical world around them.
Zuckerberg also touched on how AR would become main stream, which seems to solve the problem that led to the failure of Google Glass.
And his comments may suggest Facebook is currently working on that solution.
‘One of the things that [VR] will unlock is the ability to live anywhere you want and be present in another place and really feel like you are there,’ the CEO said. ‘It is going to unlock a lot of economic opportunity because people will be able to live where they want and increasingly work where they want and kind of teleport into place
‘In order for AR to work it has this additional challenge that VR doesn’t is that people who are going to be wearing this around during the day it needs to fit into a pretty small form factor, like normal looking glasses,’ the CEO explained.
‘So now you have the challenge of delivering all this technology and create this sense of presence but doing it in a normal thick-rimmed pair of glasses.’
‘You’re basically taking a lot of technology that doesn’t exist yet and miniaturizing it down so it fits into a few millimeters thick and that can work on a device all day long by a battery.’
The CEO highlighted how the lockdowns revealed a forever changed work world that has proved there is not a need for physical offices.
He plans on having 50 percent of the Facebook staff working remotely permanently by the end of the decade and it will be possible with VR technology.
Zuckerberg’s appearance in the app is also been speculated as a way to infiltrate the up-and-coming social app, which could mean copying the platform or a potential acquisition
Sal Rodriguez shared on tweet regarding such speculations.
‘Listening to Mark Zuckerberg chat on Clubhouse, it’s impossible not to wonder how long before Facebook releases its own version of this product,’ wrote Rodriguez.
While other Twitter users have an notion that Zuckeberg is going to buy Clubhouse.
One user called ‘Amy’ thinks the CEO could make his own spin off of ‘audio rooms’ that would be available on Facebook, WhatsApp and Messenger.
Source: dailymail
