Someone at famed design firm Frog Design must have been having a bad day when this Digital Escape design was conceived. Don’t like your world? Strap on this “lifestyle product of the future” and transport yourself to a different dimension with your own sights, sounds, smells, and air quality — the rest of the planet be damned.
Hey, maybe this design concept is the answer to the dawning of even more-miserable airline travel. Designed to “become a sort of visual drug,” Digital Escape could give you the perfect getaway from that snoring guy with the gas problem in the middle seat next to you on the plane.
This antisocial shield is in the early concept stages; the Frog Designers are probably working on some sort of streamlined tank system to supply all that fresh air. Sounds like a lot of trouble just to isolate yourself from others. A better idea: Just stay home.
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Frog Design, via Slippery Brick
editor@dvice.com
By IsoTek at 4:04 PM ON 05/19/08
It kinda makes me think some angry Cylon snatched some poor human's face off and replaced it with his. But I like it, and I think it is time we had some real VR tech for the masses to escape to.
By Black Ops at 2:22 AM ON 05/21/08
What an amazing concept!! And it looks cool, too. Very nice VR specs
By ridgeman at 3:37 AM ON 05/21/08
How much is it and where can I buy one?
By WalkerBoh at 3:38 AM ON 05/21/08
That looks neat, but it's also kinda creepy. Like uncanny valley creepy. I wouldn't have any problems wearing a set, but just seeing the pic of the two bald people wearing them has me weirded out.
By Mytonmedy at 7:24 AM ON 05/21/08
Does anyone else see the reality that the mask is blocking out? In the first image it shows a ruined/post apocaliptic New York or somewhere else, then the VR mask shows a nice mountain view in place of the ruble.
This this seem mores like a warning about what VR could cause, than of the great benefits.
Than again, I'm really bored right now and may be reading way to much into this.
By Ruis at 11:19 AM ON 05/21/08
Wow! My creative possibilities machinery just went into overdrive, what an outstanding concept.
By Ketoes at 11:21 AM ON 05/21/08
Amazing. Just simply amazing. An additional add-on that might be nice is hand attachments so you can interact with the world. Also, just to be technically correct, the apocalyptic world view is from London. Take a look at the upper left area of the Bottom right view. You can see the bridge over the Thames river.
By pajmgf at 11:39 AM ON 05/21/08
This idea is excellent and if incorporated which the new and developing holographic projection technology (recently used by HRH Prince Charles to do a speech at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi while he was still in the UK)it could be a powerful tool. It could provide two-way face-to-face communication between anyone, almost anywhere in the world without having to fly their, needlessly adding to their carbon account (and needlessly smelling the snoring man's gases.)
By Beedo at 2:38 PM ON 05/21/08
Tell you what, take out all the electronics (except maybe the air filter), give it some good polarizing sunglasses-type lenses, do it up in a Sithy black-and-red motif, and I'll buy one for the sheer badassery of it.
By Hrafn at 3:00 PM ON 05/21/08
If the mask is not questionable enough, I fail to understand the purpose of proposed "hand attachments" so that one may interact with a virtual world. There is a real physical world around you at this moment. Why would anyone need a virtual replacement? There are many more practical things that could be in development instead, and things that do not completely mask reality so that life can be rejected and one can enter a fake world.
By Joltmar at 3:16 PM ON 05/21/08
.hack///sign anyone?
By Quinn Mallory the 23rd and a half at 3:58 PM ON 05/21/08
I think an old "Sliders" episode("Virtual Slide") had something like this, where people are given VR systems to make their work seem like recreational activities, though their headset sucked(it looked like a crude("Read"-Cr@py looking) prototype of Geordi La Forge's VISOR).
By Dolphina at 7:28 PM ON 05/21/08
WOW!! I think that is SOO KWEL!!! I want one!! (*lol*) That would be SO net to be able to buy one & when you are having a REALLY HARD day or something & then you come home & put that on... what a concept!
I'll take one!! How much?¿?¿ (& where do we get them?)
By Tw3ntysix at 2:02 AM ON 05/22/08
This scifi channel crap never comes out anyways. If it will it will be out in 15ish years and this wont even matter.
By purphekt at 9:19 AM ON 05/22/08
Ugh! It looks like a jock strap! Never see one on my face.
By daoldone at 10:44 PM ON 05/24/08
i kind of liked it..yea it could sort of sheild ya from the real world but can you see what it can do....helping firefighters finding people in the rubble and much,much,more...for the present i would like to have it to ride my motorcycle it would help see what you cant see and also give you a 3-d look of your surroundings......
By damolester at 10:45 PM ON 05/24/08
i kind of liked it..yea it could sort of sheild ya from the real world but can you see what it can do....helping firefighters finding people in the rubble and much,much,more...for the present i would like to have it to ride my motorcycle it would help see what you cant see and also give you a 3-d look of your surroundings......
By RevantheBlack at 2:03 PM ON 05/25/08
I agree with the general idea from the 'Sliders' episode. Think about it, how much more work would we get done if we thought it was play? (Elder Scrolls will look so much cooler with one of those things)
By me at 5:08 PM ON 06/03/08
Why does it have an eject button on one of the pics. Is it for people who need to talk to you and want to rudely eject you from your fantasy world, cuz if I want that I can just go and stare at my girlfriend.