Episode 6 Technobytes

This is Technobabble! Well, not quite.

Actually, this is Technobabble's younger sibling, Technobyte,

but it's no less tech-tastic.

And it's time to check out the latest ponderable puzzle

via our randomly named messaging app.

How will augmented reality

change in the future?

Now there's a question, Hannah.

A question I can't answer.

Let's call in the reinforcements.

I am sending Maya off to meet a bunch of UK developers

that specialise in augmented reality.

Helping her is techspert

Kieran Sawyer who knows all about

this extra-dimensional technology.

Thinking about it, you've got virtual reality,

which I know a little bit about.

You get something, you put it in the virtual world, walks around,

touches things, does things, but augmented, don't have a clue.

-It's essentially, the opposite.

-OK.

So we are bringing this virtual content into the real world,

so it appears in front of you every day.

-How does it actually work?

-OK. So, what you have is a device

-which we have taught to look for something.

-Mm-hm.

-OK?

When it recognises that thing, it will then create that content

and show that content in front of you.

It brings it all to life in the real world.

-Could you show me?

-Yeah, definitely.

So, we have an iPad here which is taught to look for this box.

All right. Oh, my gosh, it's just turned into cartoon,

and it's opening. The box...

The box on the table is not doing anything but this box...

And a car has flown out of it. This is insane. How is it doing this?

What it's doing is it's looking

at this and it's recognising the box.

It recognises the box and then

shows this content.

So if you don't like the colour,

for example, you can change it.

Wow. So I am literally editing this box.

-But there's no car in real life. I'm so confused.

-You can move the box.

You can move...

Wow! And how does the technology work behind this?

Essentially, what we're doing is we've got a device that has

an app on and we're just looking for something.

We've taught the device what to look for and then when it recognises it,

it then starts to make magic come to life.

-I've showed you a really simple version that involved the car.

-Yes.

Now I've got something really cutting edge you might

want to come and look at.

-What do you think?

-Yeah, let's go. Let's have a look.

-Shall we go?

So this is putting you into augmented reality.

-It's live and not many people have done it.

-How is that happening?

We have got a camera there with some infrared sensors.

When you move around, that tracks your body, OK?

All those movements that you do then appear here in real-time.

OK, so that is me in my favourite dress on that screen.

-That's you right there.

-That is incredible.

-Right, so...

-SHE CHUCKLES

-And this means, can I kick?

-You can.

Try kick the ball.

-Oh, you're not very good at that, are you?

-I'm missing.

-What I can do is start throwing some stuff at you.

-Wow.

-What did you just throw?

-Pies.

-Pies at me?

-Yeah.

I want to be something else.

Something else?

I'm a penguin! Woo!

-Shall we turn you back to yourself again?

-Yes.

-Back to normality.

-From here, a spitting image.

-Perfect.

-Basic...

Hi, Mya Two, covered in spiders.

So what is AR actually used for right now?

Might be using it for learning things, so, like, at school.

So at the moment it might be that you're learning about volcanoes.

Obviously, volcanoes are quite difficult to understand

because you can't really go up and see one,

it's a little bit dangerous.

But what we could do is create a 3-D version that then could

explode in front of you, show how they explode,

cut them apart so you can look inside the volcano

and exactly how it works.

How is it going to change in the future?

So, in the future I don't think we'll actually need devices at all.

You know, we're going to be able to walk around and just see AR.

It's just going to appear and it'll be part of everyday life,

and we'll probably struggle to tell the difference between what's AR

-and what's not AR, actually.

-That is insane, Kieran.

I'm still just trying to get my mind around it now.

-Talk about jumping out the screen at you.

-You're not wrong, Mya.

Look, there's more.

This is HoloLens - a smart glasses headset that mixes reality

with holograms.

There's no screen or mouse, just holograms created by gestures,

apps controlled by your voice and navigating with glances.

This much anticipated bit of kit could transform the everyday way

we interact with the world.

From making your TV massive to doing spells like Harry Potter

and even playing golf on Mars!

-That is out of this world.

-Hm, nearly 7% funny there, Mya.

American thrill-seeker's are working on combining virtual and

augmented reality to make real-world videogames.

Like a cross between Laser Quest and a games console,

this could be the theme park of the future,

letting you take down fantasy monsters and interact with

physical objects in a truly immersive world.

Bring it on. When can I have a go?

Not till I've had a go, Mya.

BREATHES HEAVILY

I can sense a force,

a Technobabbler force. BREATHES HEAVILY

Hey, blogster,

could we build a real lightsaber?

BREATHES HEAVILY

IMITATES DARTH VADER: The Force is strong with this one.

BREATHES HEAVILY

Great question, Eugene.

I've always wanted a lightsaber powerful enough to cut through

reinforced steel, storm troopers and cute little kittens.

Ooh, no. Maybe not kittens.

Accessing databanks.

A Star Wars fan in the US of A claims to have built something

close to a lightsaber using a powerful blue laser and

two strong lithium-ion batteries.

This DIY version can burn through paper,

cardboard tubes and even a plastic ping-pong ball.

But there's a flaw.

Unlike a classic lightsaber, which has a short, easy to handle beam,

this home-made laser never stops unless something gets in the way.

And that means in the throes of battle,

the slightest slip from your laser lightsaber could take out

your enemies, friends,

or that unsuspecting person waiting for the bus.

Back to the drawing board.

And staying in America,

a defence firm has developed the metal vapour torch.

It looks just like an ordinary torch but at the push of a button

fires out a fiery blade

powerful enough to slice through solid metal.

This jet of flame is created by a chemical reaction between

copper oxide, magnesium and aluminium particles.

Sadly, the torch's effect only last a few seconds.

Useless if you're mid dual with a Sith Lord who won't hesitate

to finish you off as you fumble to find a refill.

There is a new hope though because

techsperts at Harvard and MIT universities

have made an unusual discovery.

Light is made from tiny particles called photons.

Most of the time photons weigh nothing and don't like to play.

If you shoot one laser beam at another the photons in them

just pass right through each other without so much as a high five.

But, in an extremely cold vacuum chamber researchers got photons

to join together, making completely new hardened molecules

that behaved very differently.

These photons pushed against and deflected each other,

just like a Jedi lightsaber!

Well that was...enlightening! Hee-hee!

What have blockbuster movies and Technobytes got in common?

They all have to end at some point,

though this is definitely to be continued and not the end.

See you next time!