An avatar is a version of yourself in the virtual world. The possibility of this digital version of you has existed for a few decades. It emerged from the video game industry and was popularized on virtual world platforms such as Second Life.
Today, we can use virtual reality headsets to teleport your eyes and ears to another location, while a set of mechanisms stimulate your skin (when something touches you in the virtual world) to make the sensation of actually being in that environment even more immersive. Suddenly, you are embodied within an avatar, and that avatar within a virtual world. And as you move in the real world, your avatar moves in the virtual one as well.
This technology is not limited to entertainment. You can also use it to deliver a lecture, for example, and you can do so from the comfort of your living room, avoiding the entire journey to the city or country where the physical event is taking place.
Robots are the second form of avatars — physical avatars. Imagine a humanoid robot that you can pilot. You could rent one from any store anywhere in the world and walk the streets, exploring the location. You could support your country's military when robots become available for that purpose — and that day is not far off. You could assist in humanitarian missions without putting your life or health at risk. You could place a robot in your elderly parents' home and help them quickly whenever they need it, at any hour of the day and from thousands of kilometers away. These are just a few examples.
By combining a virtual reality headset with a specialized suit that conveys the sensation of touch, you can teleport your senses into that robot. This allows you to walk, shake hands with people and feel that handshake through your glove, perform remote surgeries if you are a surgeon, assist a physician if you are a nurse, or save lives in the event of fires or shootings — all without leaving home.
And, just like the other technologies we have been discussing here, this future is not far away.
The $10M ANA Avatar XPRIZE project aims to develop a robot capable of replicating your movements in dangerous locations, in places that would take too long to reach when speed is critical, or for activities that demand physical strength beyond what a human can or should exert, for example. Watch the video:
These more sophisticated robots have not yet arrived, but a simpler version already exists — the Newme, which ANA recently announced. With it, humans can virtually explore new places and interact with other people. The robots are colorful, feature wheeled bases similar to the Roomba, and eye-level mounted cameras that capture the surrounding environment and stream it to virtual reality headsets.
After unveiling the technology at the Advanced Technology Expo in Tokyo in October, ANA announced plans to deliver 1,000 Newmes by 2020.
When more sophisticated avatars arrive, geography, distance, and cost will no longer limit our travel choices.
From attractions such as the Eiffel Tower or the pyramids of Egypt, to inaccessible destinations like the Moon, Mars, or the Mariana Trench, we will be able to transcend our own physical limitations through avatars that walk, fly, or dive.
The exploration of the world and outer space will gain a new frontier: that of imagination and the desire to discover.