Speculative Fact #309: Reach Out and Touch Your Simulation

            Virtual and augmented reality are becoming popular as new developments in optics and software catch up with our old fantasies. In order to create a convincing virtual environment, technology must immerse its user and actively engage all of their senses. A new technology aims to give us that critical feeling of touch.
            The technology, called haptics, uses ultrasonic sound waves to simulate solids. Sound waves can be manipulated so that they can change shape and size, one day maybe  giving us invisible buttons to press. Experiments have even be conducted where sonic “tractor beams” can levitate and move small objects.
            As technology gets perfected it has a tendency to become invisible. Perhaps in the future we take VR for granted and forget it’s even there. Your story might be a philosophical exploration of whether we can ever discern reality from a clever simulation. Maybe the humans of tomorrow would rather plug in and tune into an ideal augmented reality - and drop out of the imperfect world around them.

-Jonathan Hernandez