What comes after the Internet? Imagine a world where it is difficult to tell if the person standing next to you is a physical reality, and whether they have human intelligence or artificial intelligence. HyperReality offers a window into the world of the future, an interface between the natural and artificial. Nabuyoshi Terashima led the team that developed the prototype HyperReality and the technology that makes this possible, and along with John Tiffin, a leading expert on the applications of HyperReality in education and entertainment, and a stellar list of contributors from around the globe, they offer an authoritative account of this new technology and its implications. This fascinating book explores the defining features of HyperReality: what it is, how it works and how it could become to the information society what mass media was to the industrial society. It describes ongoing research into areas such as the design of virtual worlds and virtual humans, and the role of intelligent agents. It looks at applications and ways in which HyperReality may impact on such fields as translation, medicine, education, entertainment and leisure.
What are its implications for lifestyles and work, for women and the elderly? Will we grow to prefer worlds we create to the physical world we adapt to? HyperReality offers a complete overview of the technology of the third millennium, and will be of interest to anyone interested in the future of technology and its effects on our lives. Nahendra Ahuja, Prem K. Kalra, Nadia Magnenat-Thalmann, Laurent Moccozet, Minako O'Hagan, Lalita Rajasingham, Katsunori Shimohara, Sanghoon Sull, Nobuyoshi Terashima, John Tiffin