Week 7

For this homework I was going to use the IKEA Places app, but it said my device is not compatible with the app. Instead, I used the app called Houzz. This app basically is an online furniture app. They sell a variety of furniture, but what makes them different then a majority of other furniture apps is that in this app you can select a furniture that you like and place it in your room and see how well it fits in. The amazing thing about this is that, instead of buying a sofa only to realize that it does not fit well into your living room, you can augment the sofa into your living room to see how well it fits with everything else. This can potentially save time. It can also make things easy because you do not even have to leave your house. Another great benefit of this app is that you can add multiple items and see how well they fit together. For example, you can add a sofa, a coffee table, a lamp, and a stool in the app. This would allow you to virtually decorate your house without any expensive costs. This will also save you money because you do not need to hire a designer for example. Also, this type of technology would be great for home designers or any type of designers. For example, say you are a landscaper and you want to give your client some ideas and an estimate for the job. With this technology you can immediately show your client what the possibilities are and what the end result would look like.

The more I get into AR and VR I am starting to see a reality where people don’t leave their houses anymore and live in the digital world. These type of technology are definitely helpful but I feel like they are making us too relied on technology. It reminds me of a animated movie where everyone is on a reclined couch with a screen in front of them. the couch takes them wherever they want to go. It can bring food to the person and do all sorts of things without the person ever leaving the couch.

Another thought that came to mind after looking at this app is imagine we lived in a virtual reality world. Say, I have a party at my house. Everyone that comes in, wears these goggles and that how we view the interior and the people. The furniture, the lighting, and the people are all fake. Decorate the room however you want. Have the any type of lighting and everyone interacts with the avatars representing each person. The crazy part about this is that when the people take their goggles off, it is just a dark shabby room with props that act as the furniture and other things. I feel like this is a reality that might actually happen.