Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday that by 2030, people could use advanced smart glasses to “teleport” to places like other people’s homes and talk to them as if they were physically present, allowing meetings personal data to be replaced by a digital headset-based experience.
One result of this vision of the future could be a reduction in business or leisure travel, which could help to mitigate the effects of climate change, Zuckerberg said in an interview with The Information.
“Obviously, they will continue to be cars and airplanes and everything. But the more we can teleport, we’re not just personally eliminating displacements and things that are an obstacle for us individually, but I think that’s better for society and the planet in general, too, ”said Zuckerberg.
Most major technology companies, including Apple, Microsoft and Google, are working on augmented reality technology, which superimposes computer-generated graphics on real-world images. Everyone is competing to shape the next big computer interface after the smartphone and the touchscreen.
Zuckerberg’s remarks are notable because they represent a cohesive vision by an industry leader of what augmented reality technology can do for consumers, not just other companies, and he identifies software that could be the hook to make people buy and, later, to use advanced computers in their face: virtual face-to-face communication.
The definitive sight in a few years’ time, as Zuckerberg said on Monday, is a pair of normal-looking computer-powered glasses that can display content alongside the real world through transparent screens.
“There are going to be all these amazing use cases that will come out of this … instead of calling someone or having a video chat, you just snap your fingers and teleport, and you’re sitting there and they’re hooked up to your couch and it looks like you are together, “said Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg says one advantage of AR-powered “teleportation” is that it can reduce travel time or commuting time. Ultimately, AR could allow workers to live where they want, perhaps a less expensive region, and “basically teleport to work,” said Zuckerberg.
“We talked a little bit about climate change before it was that important,” said Zuckerberg. “People will perhaps want to travel a little less in the future and do it more efficiently, and be able to go places without having to travel or get around.”
Zuckerberg’s interview comes at a time when the social media company plans to launch a pair of smart glasses in partnership with Ray-Ban later this year, although he said they would not be “full AR”, meaning that they will not display advanced virtual objects. Facebook plans to launch more advanced AR glasses as the technology gets better.
Facebook also develops virtual reality headsets without transparent screens through Oculus, which it bought in 2014 for $ 2 billion. She currently sells the Oculus 2, a $ 300 virtual reality headset. Zuckerberg said he believes software makers will start making software in virtual reality before making the transition to augmented reality, and calls the two technologies “two sides of the same coin”.