By Paul McGhie
The Immersive Cocoon is a concept product designed by NAU. The company states that the goal of the project is to ‘push the envelope and provoke a new conception of interface technology’.
The Immersive Cocoon is a digital environment which NAU describes as holistic and intuitive. It is loaded with motion sensor technology with the idea that physical people will be the predominant interface used in the future. This isn’t hard to imagine with the advances we’ve seen concerning systems like the Oculus Rift , or even the Xbox Kinect. The Immersive Cocoon promises to recreate three dimensional environments allowing operators to ‘depart on journeys they never thought possible’.
NAU infers that the Immersive Cocoon has applications to be leased to different corporations, and hopes that one day, the machine will be available in public spaces such as airports etc. Inside the Cocoon, is a 360 degree display dome, motion sensors, adjustable seating and even a pop-up workspace. The Cocoon will allow users to travel to long lost temples, coral reefs, and even the frontiers of space for work, physical activity, and many other applications. Immersive gaming and relaxation and educational routines are all key features in the concept of the Immersive Cocoon.
Of course, there are applications for research here. By simulating virtual environments, researcher would have the opportunity to better observe study participants. Similar to ethnography, if I wanted to do a study on which spaghetti noodle is doing the best in market right now, I’d simply create a supermarket and ‘shop along’ within the Cocoon. Alternatively, I could recreate an average kitchen with different spaghetti noodles in the cupboard and see which one is chosen by my participant.
My blogs are often about consumer engagement and how we can keep respondents/participants interested in the research process. The Immersive Cocoon stands on the same principles. How can we make our work and time spent in front of computers, consoles and webcams more exciting?
As the project is currently conceptual, there are no details on the price of an Immersive Cocoon. I imagine it to be extremely expensive, but then again, I remember when a VCR was $700.00, so all things with time I suppose. There are also some negative connotations with the Cocoon in terms of security. I imagine if you stuck one if these in an airport it wouldn’t be too long before it denigrated into an immersive sex dome. I guess whether that’s a negative or positive aspect is up to the user. Do the pros outweigh the cons associated with the Immersive Cocoon? I think so, yes.
Whether it does, or doesn’t ever hit the market and who can/can’t afford one, I think the main premise here is that people have a desire to be engaged. Even in the promotional video (above) for the Immersive Cocoon, we are drawn to it. We want to be enveloped by it and we want to be engaged by it. While I’m tempted to go on a semiotic rant right now, I will refrain and just state simply that the future (in this case the futures of gaming, education, work, exercise and ‘exercise’) will be more engaging for everyone involved. As researchers, we should utilize our skills in projective trending and immerse our respondents to the best of our ability. Whether it be with machines like the Immersive Cocoon, or our own innovations.