Jul 09 87 lns Virtual Illusions By Norris Parker Smith People do not want virtual reality, they want virtual illusions. This insight could transform virtual reality from a fascinating freak into an enormously profitable mass-market success. Perhaps the greatest success in the history of persuading people that they need the latest electronic gimmick. This thread of logic was set unraveling by a lead article in the Arts & Leisure section of the Sunday New York Times. The Times discovered that virtual reality is, or could be, an art form. The Times reviewer described an encounter with the work of VR artist Mark Mullican, shown at a Manhattan art gallery. Charles Hagen, who wrote the piece, was intrigued but skeptical. Mullican's work sounds pretty thin; Hagen would find more excitement at SIGGRAPH. This revived an old concern. VR is a potential art form, depending (like finger painting and sculpture made out of old hubcaps) upon what the artist does with it. It also has obvious applications for architectural and other design, for specialized applications like flight training, and for ordinary education -- especially of the very young and the physically and emotionally deprived. But what else? Where are the real bucks? This is not just greed. Unless broad revenue sources are developed, it will take too long before costs are brought down and ease-of-use raised enough to make widespread educational applications feasible. Another document pointed the way. This was an advertisement in the San Jose Mercury News, which is of course a highly regarded family newspaper, not a kink sheet. Phoenix Studios offers to "recharge your relationship" with boudoir portraiture. Phoenix "can eliminate cellulite, age lines and excess weight," the ad said. It was illustrated with a full-frontal photo of an abundant young woman who appeared to suffer none of these blights. This is accomplished by Phoenix with the help of "an outstanding make-up artist." The transformation takes place in "relaxed sessions, with music and champagne." Voila! Everyone is lonely. Almost everyone wants to look better. They would also be happier if the object of their relationship looked better. They are willing to pay well to recharge their relationship, especially if the recharge operates in the zone from zero to something. Why not create suitable, stylish, customized illusions through the proven capabilities of virtual reality? Go beyond the crude technology of airbrushed frown lines and exuberant thighs reshaped with the palette knife. Achieve freedom from dependence upon demeaning crutches like music and champagne. You need two new VR products (which could be different versions of the same product, with perhaps a dual capability). One is a convenient and inconspicuous pair of VR glasses that would enable A to see B as she or he wishes B would look. Preferences could be dialed into the system (by spoken or rather mumbled command?) in advance or as B wanders into view. The other requirement goes deeper: systems controlled by A that cause B to see A the way A would like to appear. Everyone walks around in his or her magic cape of illusion. When this kind of thing is discounted at K-Mart to $76.88, the profits would be stupendous. The timid or tightfisted could rent a set for the weekend at the local Blockbuster. Higher-margin, high-definition models and self-adjusting systems that adjust automatically to the wearer's mood and the current fashion could be sold to the affluent for even higher revenues. (This is not, so to speak, visionary. A crude precursor exists in a computer game in which players can create persona for themselves, complete with altered appearance -- or a new gender.) There would be problems. In light of the enormous potential demand, the technological issues are trivial and could be overcome swiftly. Social and psychological problems are less tractable. In the 19th century, corsets, full, floor-sweeping skirts, bustles and other illusion-makers led to disillusionments in the boudoir that became a staple of fin-de-siecle farce. Similar shocks could arise when the moment has arrived to recharge the relationship in the flesh. What happens when the Virtual Illusion switches are at last turned off and the magic spectacles are removed? This is why God invented darkness, but unfortunately God also invented next mornings and people who die without a start-of-the-day jolt of coffee Two people wearing dumb glasses avoiding each other's glances over the grapefruit? People would feel obliged to walk around with signs reading, "Hey, man, this is how I really am" -- which is not that different from the current state of things, without the miracle of advanced visual science. Technology could also fix this. How about implants? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your comments on this and other Daily News items are welcome in Your Feedback on the News. For information on how to add your voice to the discussion, see About News Feedback under Your Feedback on the News.