After my initial enthusiasm for 3D cameras that will map human's moves and face expressions on the avatar, I feel like turning back and look at things once again. As any new technology it might turn out as both a good and a bad idea. It's about how we use it and what do we expect from it.
If the aim is creating an "augmented reality" with a camera that will mocap humans face expressions and moves to map them on the avatar all the time, then it's more trouble than it's worth. It will lag and our avatars will start behaving weird. Just imagine all those avatars moving their hands in front of their faces to light cigarettes that exists only in meatspace, to bring invisible food or glass to the mouth, chewing while talking to you, writing on unrezzed pieces of paper… you know, avatars imitating all the things humans are doing in front or their computers. It is not a question of augmentation, but humans and avatars are not doing the same things at the every given moment.
On the other side are things humans should do to move their avatars. Are you willing to act all the things you want your avatar to do? It is more effective to type "LOL" instead of sitting alone in front of the monitor and laughing. Most of the time, avatar is laughing loud while human is just smiling or chuckling. That difference is not lying nor exaggerating, it is just that the two, human and avatar, are in different context. We usually laugh loud when somebody is present to share a joke, and that presence is on the grid, not in the meatspace. Forcing a human to act laughing would be lying and very bad for both augmentation and immersion. Obviously, we'll need one more "push to talk" button, something that will filter the gestures that we don't want to map.
Example of use that sounds exciting but introduces potential problems is Mitch Kapor's for Cnet news:
So, if I look to the left in the real world, I just want my avatar to look to the left. If I smile, I just want my avatar to smile. The cameras should be good enough to pick that up. I think we're going to see an amazing jump in the sense of presence.
If I look to the left, my avatar will look to the left but I will looking through the window straight on the street. We'll still want a piece of hardware to do things that are easier to be done with our fingers. Let's not lie to ourselves, we use mice and keyboards for decades. By now they both are a part of our unconscious routine. While using second life or any other thing that shows on the monitor, we need our eyes to look at the monitor, not through the window. And all the instinctive attempts to altcam into a screenshot from the second life are witnessing that using alt, ctrl and shift to do that it's a good way to do look around.
But, having such a nice tool and improved face and hands animations can make this world make one big step forward. It might be useful both in creating and in real-time communication. Creating animations will be much closer to the users that are not proficient in animating software but very good dancers and actors. We'll have more spontaneous reactions in real-time and an opportunity to move our puppet's strings in a more interesting way and out of the possibilities predefined by short list of animation in the poseballs and animation overriders. If you've tried wiimote, you know what I mean. Though it feels strange at the first moment, as soon as you get a grip of it it is a wonderful experience. And the one that ask for a bit more space in front of the monitor.
As with any new part of hardware in the interface, it is not only the wires that matters. It is how those wires are connected to the humans to make a thing useful.
No way I am gonna use a tool like that.
Apart the fact that I completely share your views on this one, for me SL it’s really an “immersive” here we go again!) experience of my mind only.
I often like to tell that in SL it’s my “brain attached to my avatar”. I just wish to improve in describing better my emotions and maybe to learn type faster as someone does. It’s wonderful how “talented-in-writing” people (both skilled in the use of words & fast typers) can really improve your overall SL experience!
I know what you mean. In that sense, this is worse invention than voice is. But, do you think, there is a potential for creative, animation production, use. Or for jumping over that gap of not-being-able-to-move-like-you-would-like-to?