Consider our current computing resources. High-performance computers, mobile devices, virtual reality headsets. They've served us well, but no one denies there's plenty of room for improvement. The main experiences 'enter' through our eyes, ears, and hands. What about smell and taste? The folks at Ericsson think there will be very important advances in this regard in the next ten years—an Internet of Senses with which we'll be able to share aromas, reproduce flavors, and even communicate thoughts.
"I wish you could smell it!" exclaims a YouTuber who has just cooked a succulent and fabulous dish. Unfortunately, smell is not something that can be reproduced over the web... but for how long? The idea is not exactly new, by the way: In the past we've talked about platforms like SmellIt, ScentScape and FeelReal. However, they always felt like isolated prototypes with little chance of success.
But the future of the web doesn't just promise us smell. It also promises taste, more realistic sounds, and superior tactile experiences, including the reproduction of textures and temperature. At least, that's what the folks at Ericsson estimate: a whole Internet of Senses for the next ten years.
Now, these predictions are not based on simple company beliefs. Their data is backed by a "trends program" that has been active for nine years, a super-survey with almost 13,000 participants spread across cities like Jakarta, Delhi, Bangkok, Mexico City, London, Johannesburg, San Francisco, Moscow, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney, and Tokyo.
- For example, 59 percent of respondents believe the human brain will become a central interface, obtaining routes projected on virtual reality glasses simply by thinking about the destination they are heading to.
- 67 percent believe that a microphone will be enough to clone voices, to such a point that they can deceive even close relatives. (Note: This already exists)
- 45 percent of respondents envision a "mouth device" that will digitally optimize anything you eat, or in more extreme cases, change the taste of things.
- Add to that digital aroma: 60 percent of users expect to be able to visit special places (say, a forest) and receive all their natural smells.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Ericsson also talks about a "merged reality", indistinguishable from physical reality. Fake news will probably find its end in 2030, as source checking will be a critical factor for the popularity and continuity of future journalistic media. Half of respondents expect privacy problems to be "completely resolved" in the next decade, and that the new generation of "digital shopping centers" will offer a kind of sensory expansion, so that potential customers can use all five senses while shopping.
A bit too optimistic? Maybe, but there were many things that seemed impossible, and today they are part of our lives.
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