Can and should a complete sensory immersion machine be created?

[TheDataMiner]

Something like this happens in lots of books and movies. A computer has some strange interface that plugs into your brain or nerves and completely overrides your senses with with computer generated ones, giving you an experience that is indistinguishable from actually being and doing whatever was programmed.

My question is, can and should something like this be built

My thoughts, briefly:

I think it could be built but not until we master how our senses work and find out how to interface our brain with a computer and somehow shutdown our natural senses. It would also be quite a feat to create a program that would have enough detail to be realistic enough.

Wether it should, however is a completely different question.

Pros:

-Giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, etc... If the sensory processing part if their brain is functioning normally than you could give senses to ones that don't have them.

-Recreation-think of how much fun you could have climbing Mt. Everest or Skydiving, going anywhere and doing anything all in complete safety

-Military training-this could also be a con, but your home nation's military would all have battlefield experience without any casualties.

Cons:

-Torture-just program in more pain physically and emotionally, they couldn't ignore it, it would be put directly into their brain.

-along the same thread, if an enemy captured someone who wouldn't succumb to torture, they could make it seem like you escaped and you could listen in as they revealed their secrets to their "commanding officer".

-Loss of sense of reality- you would lose track of what was real and what was a simulation, paranoia ensues.

-Perpetual boredom, life would seem so boring when you could do anything in a simulation, everyone would be plugged into these machines all day and ignoring everything else.

What do you think about this?

Edited February 9, 2014 by TheDataMiner

[xmaslightguy]

I have long been in support of this type of direction. Currently, we go to school to get a job, work that job to make money, and use that money so we can retire and not work. I think offering this program as a type of retirement could be very attractive, where you pay for the real food and water your body needs, all the while you enjoy the fantasies of a lifetime, living in whatever physical condition you want. So maybe as an end-goal retirement, but not for use in daily life like video games.

[ZedNova]

I think a bubbling hot tub with 200 inch flat screen Tv, and a tray of Danishes would be a complete sensory immersion for me.

[Idobox]

Giving back sight and hearing already exists, although far inferior to the real thing.

Giving back touch also exist on a very basic level.

The main problem with this kind of techniques is that it impairs the normal functioning of the sense. Even if you're not blind, you will become dependent on the implant to see.

Assuming we solve these problems and get Matrix level immersion, you will have a host of possible problems: people confusing reality and simulation, starving to death in their machine, getting hacked, etc...

They can be alleviated by common sense measures, like an interface to tell what's real or time limits on exposure, but we all know common sense is a rare thing in humans.

TV and internet could be tools of mass education and social progress, and we use it to watch the Kardashians lolcats.

[Nibb31]

I'm pretty certain we will be able to use this sort of hi-fidelity VR technology to explore virtual worlds way before we ever (if ever) get to see actual interstellar exploration.

It's also why I don't think space tourism will ever become a mass industry. Who would want to risk their lives and spend months travelling to Mars if you can live exactly the same experience with a VR machine ?

[Shna_na]

I think it is possible, if it isn't already, but a bad idea. Sure, some brilliant things could be done, but it would be abused to no end.

• It could be used in torture.
  
• Killing in games/simulation could lead to a desire to kill in the real world.
  
• Confusion between what's real and what isn't
  
• Mass hysteria.
  
• Mass paranoia/anxiety.
  
• Mass fatigue/obesity.
  
• Huge drop in global production.
  

And a whole host of other potential disasters such as simulations for truly awful things such as murder simulators or worse (possibly interactive **** or, god forbid, child ****ography). When you balance such major major MAJOR things with the positives, it really isn't worth it. In extremely strict, controlled, high-security conditions, it would be great however.

[Motokid600]

Well... How about NOT for public use? But instead put them on interplanetary spaceships. The crew could practise what there gonna be doing on the surface before they even get there.

[NASAFanboy]

All I know is that I would certainly purchase one.

Anyways, such technology would probably allow astronauts on long-term space expeditions relieve their boredom, with short periods everyday where they perform basic "housekeeping" and "cleaning"/maintanence of their space vessel, plus any experiments they must do, with the rest of the day spent in an VR, playing out their various fantasies (Like being back home on Earth, or visiting Paris, or simply being in an hot tub with attractive members of the opposite gender, .etc).

Anyways, very interesting concept.

[Klingon Admiral]

If it can be done it will one day be done, a certain industry will absolutely push in that direction.

[Nibb31]

Well... How about NOT for public use? But instead put them on interplanetary spaceships. The crew could practise what there gonna be doing on the surface before they even get there.

What would be the point of even going there if you could do it in VR? You could send robots with high-resolution sensors and reproduce the exact same sensorial experience as if you were actually there.

[Idobox]

Another point. If you can get perfect sensory interface, you are very close to the singularity.

Once you can communicate with the brain in a such a way, it's not much more difficult to allow you to command a computer directly with your thoughts. Also, our understanding of how the brain works would be massively improved by such technology, meaning that we could possibly be able to read and write memories directly, or create a memory expansion chip, a math expansion chip, etc...