Cyberselves in Immersive Technologies

From mystical experiences brought about through trance or psychedelic drug use, to film fantasies such as The Matrix, Avatar and Surrogates people have long been fascinated with the idea of projecting the self outside of the body, or into a different body, or even into a radically different world. In history and in literature, such an experience is often described as a life-transforming event-through transcending corporal limits, or leaving your own body entirely, perhaps to temporarily inhabit another, you might come to see and understand yourself in new and more enlightened ways.

With the development of next generation virtual reality and telepresence technologies, the possibility of experiencing the world from a point-of-view other than that from behind our own eyes is becoming a possibility for all of us. Fully immersive technologies, through which you have the compelling feeling of being in another place or body, are on the near horizon, and scientists and technologists are everyday discovering new ways to directly manipulate your experience of where, what, or even who, you are. As more-and-more people devote time and energy to life in virtual or 'cyber' realities-with different degrees of immersion-our cyberselves, the people who we become in these virtual worlds, could become as important to us as our 'real' selves. Since the technologies are advancing so rapidly, there has been little time to consider the transformative effects that widespread access to deep and prolonged immersion could have on people, their relationships, and our societies (both real and virtual); for example, the idea that the virtual world is less 'authentic' than the physical one is being challenged by people for whom their cyber-relationships are more important than those happening in 'real' life.

The "Cyberselves in Immersive Technologies" project considers it imperative that we examine the transforming impact of immersive technologies on our societies and cultures. To do so effectively, a multi-disciplinary approach is required that embraces methods from both the humanities and sciences. Our project includes philosophers and cultural theorists, working alongside psychologists, technologists, and cognitive scientists. We seek to explore and understand the notion of immersion both in its historical and cultural contexts, and in the 'here and now'-examining how immersive technology operates and how it effects our brains on bodies. We plan to draw from these analyses conclusions about the cultural perception and likely social impact of this technology near- and long-term.

Our project will involve experimental studies using a virtual reality environment, and the comparison of immersion in this virtual world with that of experiencing the real world through telepresence (remote presence) interfaces to an advanced humanoid robot. We will use state-of-the-art motion capture, virtual reality and robotics equipment already operating at the Sheffield Centre for Robotics and the University of Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona to explore objective and subjective aspects of the immersive experience and to understand how our conceptions of our bodies may be transformed by such experience. By collaborating across disciplines and by combining this approach with cultural and ethical analyses we expect to (i) generate an improved understanding of the cultural, historical and ideological constructions around the notion of virtual reality and the projected self; (ii) transform the way that cognitive scientists investigate immersive and virtual reality technologies as a way of discovering more about the nature of the self; (iii) identify critical cultural anxieties and future societal challenges raised by immersive technologies; and (iv) promote a scientifically- and culturally- informed debate about the potential benefits and risks of living more of our lives as cyberselves.

The technology for immersive virtual reality is improving very rapidly, largely due to its importance to the entertainment and games industries. In addition to leisure, however, there are also important applications of immersive technologies (ImT) in the civil and commercial domains: for example, teleoperation of remote equipment in hazardous environments (such as the nuclear industry, oil & gas, space); telepresence for delivering healthcare or conducting business; and augmented reality, for applications in areas such as design (e.g. planning and architecture), tourism, and retail (particularly online). Perhaps most controversially, these technologies have also found military applications, such as the remote piloting of aircraft ("drones"). Concerns also arise that people, especially children, through exposure to immersive technologies could be put at risk of cognitive, physical or emotional damage, or could become exposed to dangerous or malicious content, that due to the compelling nature of immersion could have much more harmful effects than content displayed through more conventional interfaces (e.g. TV). Thus, while important economically, the broadening use of immersive technology is a major concern both for policy-makers and the wider public. Given this context, this research has many potential beneficiaries:
* Government, and advisory bodies such as the Technology Strategy Board, will benefit from a better understanding of public perceptions and anxieties, and how these technologies are shaped by both cultural aspiration and fear. This will inform policies concerning the use of ImT in business and to address key challenges such as healthcare provision.
* Charities, and government bodies concerned with cyber-risk and cyber-security, will potentially benefit, as worries about the growing use of ImT are explored.
* Manufacturers and end-users of cybertechnologies will benefit from investigation of the societal impacts of ImT in both established markets, such as gaming, and in emerging ones, such as telecare.
* People with disabilities, illness, or recovering from injury, will benefit through exploration of the potential benefits of ImT for telehealth, for gaining better control over the environment through teleoperation, and of the use of mixed-reality ImT in rehabilitation.
* Companies and organisations employing teleoperation of equipment in remote or hazardous environments will benefit from a better understanding of the user experience of ImT.
* Organisations, public and private, that are making increasing use of cybertechnologies to improve efficiency and communication will benefit through a better understanding of the unintended consequences and cultural impacts of, for example, the growing use of telepresence devices for conferencing.
* The artistic and scientific communities will benefit by exploring the mutual relationship between science fiction and science-led design, and between methodologies applied in the arts and those used in technology development. By bringing together scientists, cultural and literary scholars the project will enrich imagination and creativity in both the artistic and scientific/design spheres related to ImT.
* Ethicists, theologians, and lawyers who are concerned with the notion of what it means to be a 'person', will benefit from exploration of the concept of cyberselves in a humanities-grounded, but scientifically well-informed, context. This could allow progress in some major moral and legal debates about cyber-identities and rights.
* The public will benefit from better engagement with all of the above issues and improved information. We will seek to understand public anxieties surrounding ImT, both conscious and unconscious, which greatly effect the perception and acceptance of these technologies and which will significantly impact on human wellbeing, now and in the future.