Is a Holodeck Possible?

   

The fictional simulator located on starships and starbases gave the Starfleet crew entertainment, a training mechanism, and a way to investigate mysteries. In the science fiction realm, the holodeck was a room equipped with a hologrid containing multidirectional holographic diodes, using photons and force fields to create a realistic environment. In an otherwise empty room, “solid” props and characters interacted with a holographic background capable of creating any scenario possible. Science has a different name—“tele-immersion”—for Star Trek’s holodeck. The technology for this interactive virtual world is closer than you might think.

     

    Some scientists and researchers think we will have holodecks as early as 2024. While the technology exists to create one already, it would be crude compared to the one on Star Trek. Taking the science fiction genre out of the equation, holodecks are simply an attempt by Hollywood and video game makers to move entertainment closer to reality. Instead of slouching on a couch during a movie or getting a thumb workout during a session of Halo, a player can maneuver a battle site while interacting with actors or run around the bases after hitting a grand slam at a New York Yankees game. Many of the difficulties of creating a holodeck have already been solved. For example, the U.S. Army has created a floor called an “omnidirectional treadmill” that allows users to walk around a room without running into walls. Microsoft is at the forefront of this technology, filing several patents for holodecks. The IllumiRoom, a Microsoft project, can manipulate surroundings and make furniture disappear. Lightspace is a digital chandelier by Microsoft that can detect people and objects in a room and display images from the ceiling that cover the walls and floor. And in 2014, scientists at the University of Illinois created CAVE2, which uses 8-foot-(2.4-m)-high screens that cover 320 degrees of a room and can model global weather patterns, study the effects of drugs, and help doctors practice surgery.

     Researchers have already created a 3-D reality. The difficulty is creating a realistic interactive reality, where a participant can shake the hand of a coworker thousands of miles away or hit a home run that feels exactly like the real-life alternative. If science does master the holodeck, there may be significant changes in how we function. TVs, even flat-screen, HD, and “smart” devices, may become obsolete as people opt for a real-world experience. Business travel could decline if holodecks become less expensive than airplane flights and hotels. In fact, many people may opt never to leave the house again since any experience they desire can virtually drop into their living room.