What this book covers

Part I: Why Spatial Computing and Why Now?, The Significance of Spatial Computing

Chapter 1, Prime Directive, Mobile phones soon will give way to headsets and glasses that bring computing to every surface. What is driving all of this new technology? We have a need for complex technologies to keep us around on this planet longer and in a more satisfied and productive state. What will drive us to build or buy new headsets, sensors, and vehicles, along with the connected systems controlled by Artificial Intelligence? Augmentation is coming, and that can mean a lot of different things, which we will explore.

Chapter 2, Four Paradigms and Six Technologies, we will look at the previous three foundations of personal computing and include the new Spatial Computing paradigm. The six technologies discussed are those that enable Spatial Computing to work: Optics and Displays, Wireless and Communications, Control Mechanisms (Voice and Hands), Sensors and Mapping, Compute Architectures (new kinds of Cloud Computing, for instance), and Artificial Intelligence (Decision Systems).

Chapter 3, The Impact of Generative AI on Spatial Computing, we discuss how Generative AI is revolutionizing Spatial Computing by enhancing immersive experiences, enabling hyper-realistic simulations, and personalizing interactions across industries. Generative AI plays a pivotal role in training and education by creating highly detailed virtual environments for aviation, medical, and military applications. AI-driven simulations now incorporate emotional and psychological realism, making training more effective and preparing professionals for real-world scenarios.

Part II: The Seven Visions, A Road Map to Spatial Computing Disruption in Seven Industries

Chapter 4, Vision One – Transportation Automates, where you will discover that soon you will tell your glasses, “Hey, I need a ride,” and you’ll see your ride arrive. Sounds like Uber or Lyft, right? Look closer, there isn’t a driver inside. Now think of the cost and the other advantages of that. Economists see that such a system could be a fraction of the cost, and could do many other things as well: “Hey car, can you go pick up my laundry and then dinner for our family?” The problem with such a world is that it is probable, many tell us, that we’ll see much more traffic near cities as we use transportation to do new things, like pick up our laundry. This is why Elon Musk came up with the Boring Company to build tunnels under cities. We show some other solutions pioneers have come up with, including special roads for these vehicles and new kinds of flying vehicles that will whisk commuters into city centers, passing above all that new traffic.

Chapter 5, Vision Two – Virtual Worlds Appear, provides details on Technology, Media, and Telecommunications, another of our seven industry verticals to be disrupted. We start out by detailing the different kinds of devices that are available to bring a spectrum of Spatial Computing capabilities to your face, from Virtual and Augmented Reality headsets to lightweight smart information glasses, and even contact lenses with displays so small that it will be very hard to tell that your friend is wearing one.

Chapter 6, Vision Three – Augmented Manufacturing, you’ll learn about how Spatial Computing is changing how factories are even designed. Increasingly, these factory floors are using robots. The robots are different than they used to be, too. The older ones used to be kept in cages designed to keep humans away. Those can still be found welding, or like in Ford’s Detroit factory, putting windshields into trucks. Newer robots work outside cages and sometimes, can even touch humans. These types of robots are called “cobots” because they cohabit with humans and can greatly assist workers.

Chapter 7, Vision Four – Robot Consumers, we detail changes that make retail stores, even traditional ones, more efficient and better for both consumers and sales for producers, and useful new Augmented Reality technologies that make shopping at home much easier.

Chapter 8, Vision Five – Virtual Healthcare, we discuss how the virtual healthcare system guides the surgeon to the right spot to cut out a patient’s cancerous tumor.

Chapter 9, Vision Six – Virtual Trading and Banking, we cover the future uses for Spatial Computing in the financial industry.

Chapter 10, Vision Seven – Real-Time Learning, we talk with educators and others who are using technology aggressively to make learning more virtual. It isn’t only for kids, either. Soon, because of automation, we’ll need to retrain millions of adults around the world, and schools and universities are responding with new curricula, new learning programs for Virtual and Augmented Reality, and new support systems to enable even truck drivers to change careers. Speaking of careers, already at companies like Caterpillar, it is using Augmented Reality glasses to train workers to fix their expensive tractors in real time. Many new VR-based training systems are being developed, from simulators to help police learn how to deal with terrorist situations to ones that show quarterbacks how to perform better, to training at Walmart that shows retail workers how to manage stores better. Verizon even trained its retail store workers on what to do if they are being robbed using VR-based training. What if, though, the system could do even more, we asked, and predict what we might do next and assist us with that?

Part III: The Spatial Business, Productivity, Efficiency, and Making Profits Are About to Undergo Radical Changes

Chapter 11, The Always Predicted World, we show how that data will be used in each of our seven disruptable industries to serve users in radically new ways.

Chapter 12, The Business of Generative AI, we discuss how Generative AI and Spatial Computing are transforming businesses by enhancing creativity, efficiency, and customer engagement. Companies use these technologies to develop innovative products, streamline operations, and gain a competitive edge.

Chapter 13, The Impact of the Apple Vision Pro, we explore the Vision Pro’s technological features, applications across industries, content development, market impact, challenges, and its role in the future of Spatial Computing. visionOS, the core of this device, introduces a three-dimensional interface that adapts to user behavior, making digital interactions feel more natural and efficient.

Chapter 14, How Human?, we provide a philosophical framework put forth by L.A. Paul of Yale University in her book, Transformative Experience, that explains why human beings tend to have cognitive issues with radical new technologies. We then discuss recent issues regarding privacy, security, identity, and ownership, and how they relate to Spatial Computing. Finally, we take up how Spatial Computing technologies can be utilized to bring about human social good.