Being a vector graphics guy the significance of origin, magnitude, and direction has long been apparent. Points arranged in three dimensional space using Cartesian coordinates with vectors connecting them creates a wire framed object. Fill in the the spaces between the the “wires” with polygonal planes and now you have a theoretical solid object. Project realistic textures onto the planes and you can create or simulate anything you can imagine.
There is a relatively new technology emerging called photogrammetry. The idea is to create a three dimensional “point cloud” from photographs. This technology applied to LIDAR which is using light from a laser to triangulate distances to a point can create accurate real world point clouds. These systems can create millions of points quickly and store them as coordinates. These points can then be filled with planes, surfaced with photography and now you have a virtual reality database of reality. Pretty slick. Doing this in real time would be an obvious goal.
Scale is an obvious problem. In this instance it is magnitude not proportion. How this will all wash out still remains to be seen. Billions of points would not be unusual for a point cloud of suitable resolution for practical use. All of thes points would have to be stored and retrieved. The solution will most likely be some sort of cluster with a shared memory pool. Fortunately there are free (as in beer, and liberty as well) operating systems, databases, and even rendering software. This is where big opportunity exists.
Robotics for lack of a better word is developing rapidly. Recently there have been released examples of machines navigating rather adroitly over some pretty rough terrain. It shouldn’t be too long before remotely operating something on the ground should be doable. Cameras alone would not suffice for a human operator to interact with the real world. Immersing the operator into a three dimensional real time environment would be the ideal situation. Then proportion becomes relevant. A supersized strong system could be used to do the work of many. A miniaturized system could be used to go where it is uncomfortable or even impossible. The ideas here are limitless.
Virtual Realty was one of the first big concepts I encountered once my interests turned toward what can be done with graphics. The concept of turning geometry in objects and attributing physical characteristics to them was a real mind blower. Back then the physics engines and the graphics were crude. Fast forward a few decades and the landscape has changed dramatically. We have fifty dollar quad core single board computers which run on free operating systems. A multi axis motor controller can be had for the same amount of money or less. Battery technology has evolved in its own right. Three dimensional scanners are available although no cheap yet. Robots are being designed to be able to navigate and recover using autonomous systems. It is all so fascinating to watch. The day is coming when we will be able to create using our hands and eyes as naturally as we cook a meal or wash our cars to interact with the theoretical and the physical world. One person will have the ability to do things that in the past required many.
Like science fiction this is just a projection of what is to come. I hope to live to see it. Even more I hope to get to use it. I am but a passionate observer. Long ago but, in my lifetime computers were expensive, clumsy, and limited. They have evolved way beyond my ability to imagine back then. My first very expensive video card was designed around CAD. A few years later cards were being designed for games. So much development has been fueled by the internet. It is a virtual reality of sorts but, it is purely theoretical. The happy byproduct of all this might just be the internet stepping out in the physical world, converging with reality.