South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive 2015 brought together over 30,000 technology industry leaders from over 80 countries to showcase the most forward-thinking technology and examine innovative trends impacting today’s modern consumer. This year in particular, we’ve seen countless new products that go beyond the norm, bringing us into the age of the Jetsons.
The Virtual Immersive Experience
One trend that caught our attention this year is the rapid emergence of virtual reality headsets – even ones that will track your eye movements to adapt to the world around you. This company, Fove, uses an eye-tracking head display that lets users interact with their environment just by looking at it. Another VR company, Reality Abstraction Industries (RAI) created a product called Ground Control, a floor joystick that lets users navigate VR worlds with their feet and without the need for large spaces.
As a company that specializes in simulation, naturally this excites us. However, from our perspective, the promise of all these early technologies are just pieces of how VR can and will be used in the real world. At Dassault Systèmes, we believe that to deliver an immersive experience such as virtual reality, companies need to start thinking not just about the technology, but the human aspects associated with it. In order for these headsets to create a truly virtual reality, they need to be completely immersive. This means being able create the experience so that the virtual world reacts to the user’s whole body, and the body is able to interact as well – having the ability to feel textures and weights of objects, etc. At that point, users will be able to leverage these devices to experiences places they’ve never been, shop in virtual stores and even interact virtually with friends.
We have spent a lot of time understanding the holistic experience of virtual reality and have achieved it all along the product lifecycle – such as our Living Heart Project (a 3D, realistic simulation of the human heart) and D-Day. Our 3D solutions developed across industries have allowed us to be at the forefront of this movement as virtual reality continues to evolve.
Transportation and the “Internet of Things”
Another trend receiving overwhelming attention at this year’s SXSW is the future of transportation. Many of the SXSW panels focused on the trend of the connected car or self-driving vehicle – highlights include Cars: Back to the Future and the Connected Car Pavilion, which showcased a variety of futuristic auto models. The standout announcement in this industry seemed to be automotive supplier Delphi, who unveiled plans for the first completely automated 3,500-mile drive across North America, beginning March 22 in San Francisco and ending at the New York International Auto Show in April. The road trip will test conditions, weather and terrain to put the self-driving vehicle (an Audi SQ5) to the test. Of course Delphi is not the only company in this elite group – Audi, BMW, GM, Nissan, Toyota, Volvo, Uber and Apple have all announced plans to develop an autonomous car – the clear leader being Google, as its self-driving cars have logged over 700,000 miles to date.
Autonomous driving makes it possible to create entirely new driving experiences for consumers. By not having to worry about actually driving, the experience could enhance relaxation, work and discussion among passengers, ultimately increasing productivity and enabling a meaningful experience. To achieve this, traditional automotive design must be challenged. Just imagine…redesigned interiors so seats can turn sideways to face other passengers, desk surfaces built into the cabin walls, etc.
From driverless cars to the next virtual reality headset, it’s clear the future is all about being “connected.” Through the Internet of Things, smart technologies have a place in virtually every industry. Even attendees at SXSW were all connected through iBeacon, a smart networking platform that powered SXSW’s mobile app, allowing attendees to locate each other based on interest, find relevant people and speakers attending certain events and network. Dassault Systèmes is advancing the IoT movement through next-generation design, manufacturing and everything in between, and SXSW gave us a just a glimpse into the future of connected technology. What do you think? Are we rocketing into the age of the Jetsons?
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