Unit Four Discussion Board Three

Jack Lilly

Colorado Technical University

CS875: Futuring and Innovation

Dr. Calongne

February 8, 2022

Unit Four Discussion Board Three

Diver-X

The company in question is Diver-X, founded in Tokyo, Japan, in 2021. Their goal is to maximize human output/experience through the human sleeping position and provide a revolutionary virtual reality (VR) experience (Diver-X, 2021a). This would be done through their product, Halfdive, which resembles a typical VR headset, but it’s positioned on a moveable stand. The user lays down flat comfortably and slides into the headset. It possesses four and a half degrees of freedom (DoF) (six DoF, virtual), one hundred thirty-four degrees field of view, a refresh rate of ninety hertz, a pair of foot and hand controllers, and employs the Unity software development kit (SDK) and the Unreal engine (Diver-X, 2021b). 

The aim is to increase VR immersion and comfort for the user. One would use the foot controllers to ‘walk’ through VR using their Avatar system. This is a newly founded company with only two members – though they have each won awards for their previous work. On January 31, 2022, they posted the announcement that they were closing the Halfdive project due to three reasons. The first reason was based on the specs and how they did not match well enough to become a reality because it was too niche-focused. The second reason was outsourcing for the hardware, specifically the lenses required. This issue led to higher costs than expected and created a bottleneck in mass production (Diver-X, 2021c). The third reason was the lack of funding to enable mass production at the projected costs. In summary, it was found that the product would simply not operate as well as intended and cost too much to make a profit. 

Fully Immersive Virtual Reality

My sociotechnical plan would realize fully immersive VR for the user. As it stands, VR is primarily used for gaming but enjoys other applications, such as in the automotive and healthcare industries (UXPlanet, 2018). Full-body VR allows for a richer and more full immersion that can open the door for yet more applications. Additionally, the level of comfort and convenience will also increase. The impact to my sociotechnical plan would be the enhanced connection between the user and the technology. From that point, other users would be empowered to interact on projects, tasks, or assignments. 

Two forces that will affect my idea are economical and social. Many organizations offer training in the form of simulations, as applicable. An example could be learning to drive a vehicle, a dentist training on a new procedure, or even an unusual task such as disarming a virtual bomb. If these simulations are to occur, participants will need to employ VR hardware, usually in the form of a mask and controllers. With full-bodied VR, these pieces of training can be enhanced to deliver more accurate training because of the increased comfort and convenience for the user. Users wouldn’t need to gather from multiple locations to attend a class; they could instead just interact with this solution. The company would save money on travel and education expenses and have a reliable training tool in-house. 

The second force is social, and it can have a far-reaching impact. With full-body VR, users will interact more seamlessly. Instead of having just a head and two hands in the experience, their entire body will be present. Though this does not seem like much, there could be several applications for it, especially on a social front. I could foresee a group of friends getting together virtually to show off their dance moves, a trainer providing a workout class, or a virtual orchestra performing for a broad audience. 

References

Diver-X. (2021a). X English homepage. Diver. Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://diver-x.jp/en/#mission 

Diver-X. (2021b). Specifications. Halfdive. Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://diver-x.jp/halfdive/en/ 

Diver-X. (2021c). Cancellation of our kickstarter project. Diver. Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://diver-x.jp/news/en/20220131.html 

UXPlanet. (2018). The influence of VR and AR across industries is growing. Medium. Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://uxplanet.org/the-influence-of-vr-and-ar-across-industries-is-growing-36362a00cffc