We know the past and present of 3D Virtual Real Worlds, but what lies ahead, on the other side of the hill? What can we realistically expect? This question has no definitive answer. Just as Bill Gates said in the mid 1980's that a computer would never need more that 60Kbytes of memory, there is no forseeable end to what lies ahead. Since 3D Virtual Real Worlds will require ever more advanced technology to expand its environment and functionality, standardizing of needed tools, formats, and interface equipment is a pressing and urgent requirement.

Physical connectivity to humans is an area that will and is happening, e.g., writing images into the retina of the eye. This allows one's retina to act as a screen. Also, neurosurgeons are using brain implants. With the rapid advancement in processor and network performance, the millions of signals (EEG, etc.) involved in brain activity are to some extent interpretable.

The rise of 3D architectural and object computer modeling is now commonplace. Already, a virtual world allows a designer or consumer to view and customize their proposed environment before it is constructed. The Virtual Real World enables this technology to attain accuracies of scale and detail in the perspective view; enabling immersion in a virtual environment. The customer can create or modify ("what if" scenarios) any aspect of what seems unsatisfactory.

3D Virtual Real Worlds can be created to record the present, reconstruct the past, or propose the future. Levels of detail are infinite and information access is much easier to assimilate and react to.

Many ethical questions have arisen in this area. Should we be really be creating these worlds? People speculate, with the exaggerated nature of entertainment, if we run the risk of making the real world obsolete. The truth is, we have nothing to fear in the near future. There is an enormous gap between what could be and what is possible; even though the gap it is getting smaller.

We are only in the sixth to seventh decade of computer integration and interfacing in human experience. With the rapid advancement of computing and networking power, visionaries tend of over romanticize what is apparent. We will not be destroying our real world with this technology, it is too new to even consider the risk.

The truth is we know about as much about the future as Charles Babbage did when he was struggling with the early idea of the computing machine years ago. 3D Virtual Real Worlds needs to integrate itself into humanity by acceptance, and it will continue to do so hopefully ameliorating our lives in the relentless process.

This is discussed at greater length at web site http:/www.mellanium.com/

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About the Author

Ken has spent most of his life working in the aerospace industry. His interest in the Virtual Real World has been born out of a real need to access information easier and less painfully by using 3D models and environments. See http://mellanium.com/ for more information.