‘Black Mirror’ got it right — you can now rewatch your memories in VR
Technology just seems to be getting wilder and wilder by the day. From AI Dj’s to Boston Dynamics robot dogs taking over fashion shows, it seems we’re getting closer to a full-on technological societal overhaul. And a new VR app, Vivid, is taking things into even stranger territory by allowing you to relive your memories.
Through the application, you’ll be able to record unforgettable moments that are uploaded to a virtual reality headset, allowing users to interact with their once-lived experiences. The program captures the footage’s 3D information to turn any recording into an immersive world. Vivid is available for beta on iOS, but pairs with a Quest VR headset and lets users invite friends to join them in their memories.
The VR app echoes the plot of Black Mirror‘s ‘The Entire History of You,’ where people access memories through an implant that records everything they see. The technology lets them rewind, zoom in and sift through the scenes of their everyday lives. Vivid, however, shows memories you record on a smartphone, so it’s not quite as realistic as you’d hope yet – but it’s a start nonetheless.
This isn’t the first time the series has predicted technology that would later come into play, either. In ‘Striking Vipers’ two friends played a video game with a twist: it let them sleep with each other. And a few years after that episode came the release of Viro Playspace, a “haptic-driven virtual social space” where – with the aid of Bluetooth-enabled adult toys – VR users can meet virtually and have sex.
Rendever, a company formed five years ago to help the elderly combat social isolation with virtual reality “reminiscence therapy,” pretty much follows the plotline of ‘San Junipero’ – allowing individuals to visit childhood homes, wedding venues, or other locations across the world.
Finally, one that most of you probably already know about is derived from series three favourite, ‘Nosedive’ – where social interactions are given an Uber-style rating. In 2018, the Chinese government began to test a “social credit” system in several major cities. The system punishes citizens who commit “untrustworthy infractions of etiquette” – such as playing music on trains, cheating in exams or not showing up to restaurant bookings – by docking points from their records.
So, don’t be surprised to see more and more technology from the series become a reality, let’s just hope those Boston Dynamics robot dogs don’t turn into killing machines like in ‘Metalhead.’
