An area of technology that has long been anticipated is Extended Reality (XR), which includes Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR). For many decades, researchers have developed various experimental headsets, glasses, gloves, and even immersive suits, to give wearers of these devices the impression of existing within a reality that is broader than what our senses usually perceive. More recently, a number of actual devices have come to the market, with, let's say it, mixed reactions. Some enthusiasts predict rapid improvements in the years ahead, whereas other reviewers focus on disappointing aspects of device performance and user experience.

Our guest in this episode of London Futurists Podcast is someone widely respected as a wise guide in this rather turbulent area. He is Steve Dann, who among other roles is the lead organiser of the highly popular Augmenting Reality meetup in London.

Topics discussed in this episode include:
*) Steve's background in film and television special effects
*) The different forms of Extended Reality
*) Changes in public understanding of virtual and augmented reality
*) What can be learned from past disappointments in this field
*) Prospects for forthcoming tipping points in market adoption
*) Comparisons with the market adoption of smartwatches and of smartphones
*) Forecasting incremental improvements in key XR technologies
*) Why "VR social media" won't be a sufficient reason for mass adoption of VR
*) The need for compelling content
*) The particular significance of enterprise use cases
*) The potential uses of XR in training, especially for medical professionals
*) Different AR and VR use cases in medical training - and different adoption timelines
*) Why an alleged drawback of VR may prove to be a decisive advantage for it
*) The likely forthcoming battle over words such as "metaverse"
*) Why our future online experiences will increasingly be 3D
*) Prospects for open standards between different metaverses
*) Reasons for companies to avoid rushing to purchase real estate in metaverses
*) Movies that portray XR, and the psychological perception of "what is real"
*) Examples of powerful real-world consequences of VR experiences.

Music: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration

Selected follow-up reading:
https://www.meetup.com/augmenting-reality/
https://www.medicalrealities.com/about

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