“Third Thumb” Augmentation Changes the Way we Think of Prosthetics
Present Day
Throughout history, mirrors have been a topic of both curiosity and myth. According to some folklore, mirrors are actually gateways to another dimension. In science fiction, mirrors have been intelligent outlets of our increasingly digital lives. While it’s safe to say that the folklore tales are nothing more than pure fiction, it would appear that the sci-fi tales of mirrors are now a growing reality.
Which is why tech. company Daptly is prepared to make our futuristic dreams of owning a smart mirror a reality. Equipped with a 23″ LED-backlit matte display and extruded aluminum frame, this two-way mirror of the future is really nothing more than an oversized tablet. Has a 1.5 GHz quad core CPU, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, a dual microphone array, and a whole assortment of apps and integrations.
Not only will you have full access to all of your online entertainment – from music to web browsing – but you’ll also be able to connect to your other devices as well via Internet of Things (IoT). For now, the Daptly smart mirror is currently only available for reservation at a total of $599. But don’t you worry, for the company does plan on shipping their product starting this December, just in time for the holidays.
Near Future
Five to ten years from now, smart mirrors are only going to become all the more advanced. Not only that, they’ll likely drop in price with such a high demand for our near-future home accommodations. Everything about our lives – whether they be offline or online – will have a spot within our smart mirror for both public and private display.
Whether we’re using the mirror to display the news, go through our daily web browsing habits, or augment our physical appearance using mixed reality, smart mirrors will be our everyday go-to during the morning and night. Each day after we wake up and each night we prepare for bed, these mirrors will be our first and final tech. experience – that is, until we repeat the process the next day.
“The Daptly Display is a gesture and voice controlled assistant for your home or office. Available as a smart mirror or smart picture frame, use it to play music, watch the news, videochat with up to 4 people, control your smart home, and more.”
– Daptly
FAR FUTURE
Thirty to fifty years from now, there’s a good possibility that mirrors will go extinct. At one point, owning a mirror was an indicator of wealth. Today, practically everyone owns a mirror. Owning a mixed reality headset which can display your virtual self as an overlay onto your physical space, however, is today’s indicator of wealth. That’ll soon change as mixed reality comes to replace the mirror – including smart mirrors – as the medium of choice for your own reflection and intelligent digital activities.
Whether we’re using augmented reality tech. or holography, our physical space will share with the virtual world. Our virtual lives – digital avatars and all – will soon enter the physical world, just as we’re currently immersing our physical selves into virtual worlds via virtual reality. So, perhaps, the folklore wasn’t all that fictional after all. Only, instead of mirrors serving as gateways into other dimensions, they’re actually a gateway into our mixed reality future!
Photo Credit: Daptly
About the author
B.J. Murphy is the Editor and Social Media Manager of Serious Wonder. He is a futurist, philosopher, activist, author and poet. B.J. is an Affiliate Scholar for the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) and an Ambassador for the robotics company Humai.
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