Soundbytes: the future of communication

{CF_INFOGRAM}

When people communicate, meaning “gets negotiated,” he says. “There is this back and forth. When we talk both parties are able to adjust their frame of reference.”

“In a few minutes you gain a lot of information, creating a mental model of the person you’re talking to. This frame of reference allows us to talk to each other.” 

" I want something that can tell me more about what is all around me than a phone ever could." Nicholas Kamuda, Microsoft

Nicholas Kamuda leads the design team for Microsoft’s Hololens and the Windows Mixed Reality computing group. His goal is to ensure the way we communicate with our phones can happen “in the space around you, in real time, at life size”.

“I want to be able to experience something with other people at the same time, like exploring a new place,” he says. “And I want something that can tell me more about what is all around me than a phone ever could.”

{CF_INFOGRAM}

With Mixed Reality, people wear headsets which allow them to interact with digital content and holograms while walking around in a real, physical, space.

The technology is not just for gaming, or visiting a virtual museum with your friends. It is being trialled by a range of organisations and businesses, from medical schools to emergency services to construction companies and architects.

Kamuda says architects can collaborate in real time on the design of a building. They do not even have to be in the same physical space to collaborate.

The Hololens brings them all together in one virtual space. Potential buyers for a still-to-be-built apartment can take a virtual walk-through to see what it will look like and feel like.

At Microsoft, Kamuda’s team have even created relaxation spaces where users can don a headset and escape for a few minutes from their office to the beach, or a park, complete with music or the sounds of the ocean.

Healthcare is another industry where there is huge potential.

“X-rays or MRIs, they are often presented with flat media,” Kamuda says. “What happens when you start to see them come together in three dimensions is really transformative for doctors.”

{CF_IMAGE}

Security

Voice search engines and mixed reality both raise questions about the security of the information we are sharing. The issue was raised with the developers at ANZ and is something both take seriously.

Ouilhet told the audience they were “people first, and designers second”’

“It’s about transparency,” he says. “You should have a say in what we know.  A big part of my team works on that. It’s something we take a lot of consideration for.”

“As long as it is easy for you to know what Google knows and then you can take or leave it. It is complex but it is certainly top of mind.”

Servers in holographic technology liked mixed reality will be able to track what people look at, Kamuda says.

The trade-off is they will be able to bring users new value. He wonders if at some point there will have to be formal rules around what information can and cannot be collected.

But both Kamuda and Ouilhet agree for them, and their colleagues, developing the technology is all about making people’s lives better - and easier.

Tony Field is a bluenotes contributor