AND NOW, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE FIRST OF TODAY'S CONVERSATIONS. I'M DEEPLY HONORED TO HOST OUR FIRST CONVERSATION TODAY ON THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF XR WITH OUR DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER, DR. TOM FURNESS, WHO IS A PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON. TOM IS ALSO THE FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN OF THE VIRTUAL WORLD SOCIETY. WELCOME, TOM. >> TOM FURNESS: GOOD MORNING, BILL. DELIGHTED TO BE HERE. GRATEFUL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO ALL THESE WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO DO GOOD IN THE WORLD. >> BILL: GREAT. WE'RE GLAD TO HAVE YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO, TOM, SINCE 1966, YOU'VE HAD A LONG CAREER WORKING IN THE IMMERSIVE MEDIA SPACE. I'M REALLY ASTOUNDED BY ALL THAT I READ ABOUT YOU AND KNOW ABOUT YOU. FIRST IN THE AIR FORCE AND THEN LATER THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON WHERE YOU FOUNDED THE HUMAN INTERFACE TECHNOLOGY LAB, ABBREVIATED AT H.I.T. LAB. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT SOME OF YOUR EARLY RESEARCH AND HOW YOU BECAME INTERESTED IN EMERGING ACCESSIBILITY? >> TOM: YOU BET, BILL. WELL, I SORT OF STUMBLED INTO ACCESSIBILITY BASICALLY IN THE EARLY PART OF MY CAREER. LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. IN 1966, I WAS WORKING FOR THE AIR FORCE AS AN OFFICER. I WAS COMMISSIONED IN 1966 AFTER I GRADUATED FROM DUKE UNIVERSITY IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING. AND THIS WAS DURING THE VIETNAM WAR PERIOD. I WAS GOING TO GO INTO THE SERVICE REGARDLESS. BUT I WAS ASSIGNED TO THE AIR FORCE BASE TO WORK ON ADVANCED COCKPITS, THE IDEA WAS HOW IN THE WORLD DO WE GET BAND WEATHER? AND IT WAS CLEAR THAT WE WEREN'T GETTING THERE BECAUSE COCKPITS WERE SO COMPLEX. WE HAD TO MAKE DECISIONS QUICKLY AND IT JUST WASN'T A VERY GOOD WORKPLACE. SO, IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE THIS EARLY MILITARY INTERFACES. I DECIDED THAT THE PILOTS REALLY HAD MORE CAPABILITY THAN THE PILOTS' ABILITY TO INTERFACE THEM. HOW SO CAN WE TAKE WHAT HUMANS CAN DO AND MAP THAT MORE EFFECTIVELY IN SO, HERE YOU SEE THREE DIFFERENT SYSTEMS THAT I SORT OF ORCHESTRATED. THE FIRST IS A HEAD MOUNTED DISPLAY. THIS IS THE VERY FIRST DISPLAY IN 1967. A LITTLE BIT LATER WE DID THAT WITH THE HELMET MOUNTED SITE IN 1969. AND BASICALLY WE WERE MEASURING THE PILOTS HEAD ORIENTATION POSITION IN THE COCKPIT IN ORDER TO NOT ONLY MOVE THE SLEIGH AROUND AND EXPLORE WHERE WE'RE LOOKING BUT ALSO TO PROVIDE INFORMATION FROM VARIOUS INSTRUMENTS IN THE COCKPIT AS WELL AS SENSORS ON THE OUTSIDE. AND THEN WE PUT THE TWO OF THESE TWO TOGETHER IN THE VISUALLY COUPLED SYSTEM IN 1961. AND THIS GAVE US THE ABILITY TO BASICALLY CREATE A VIRTUAL WORLD SO THAT WHEN YOU LOOKED AROUND, YOU'D BE ABLE TO SEE INFORMATION IN SPACE, INFORMATION IN THE COCKPIT STABILIZED INERTIALLY. AND WE COULD CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION THROUGH THE ADVISER. AT NIGHT YOU COULD REPLACE THAT WITH THE VIRTUAL WORLD. WE COULD ACTUALLY CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION OF THE VISOR SO WE COULD GO BETWEEN AUGMENTED REALITY AND VIRTUAL REALITY. EVENTUALLY WE WANTED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM WITH ALL OF THE COMPLEXITY. IN 19 -- THE LATE 1970s, WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT HOW IN THE WORLD DO WE TAKE ALL THIS INFORMATION WITH THE 300 SWITCHES AND 75 DISPLAYS, 11 SWITCHES ON THE CONTROL, 9 SWITCHES IN THE THROTTLE AND MAKE IT MORE INTUITIVE? SO WE BUILT THIS SO-CALLED DARTH VADER HELMET AS A SIMULATOR FOR HOW WE WOULD BUILD A COCKPIT THE PILOT WEARS. SO YOU BASICALLY HAVE INFORMATION GOING INTO YOUR SENSORY AND ORGANS. AND ALSO YOU HAD THE ABILITY TO USE NATURAL INTERFACES IN TERMS OF HAND GESTURES AND SPEECH AND OTHER WAYS OF INTERACTING WITH THE COCKPIT. SO WE BUILT A SIMULATOR WHICH REALLY WAS THE FIRST PANORAMIC VIRTUAL DISPLAY. IT HAD BETTER PERFORMANCE THAN WHAT WE HAVE TODAY. BUT WITH THIS, WE BEGAN TO DISCOVER HOW POWERFUL THIS VIRTUAL REALITY MEDIUM WAS. DIDN'T HAVE TO LOOK INTO THE COCKPIT, JUST LOOKED OUT IN THE WORLD AND INFORMATION WAS WHERE THEY NEEDED IT. AND SO THIS LED TO THE FORMULATION OF A WHOLE NEW COCKPIT CONCEPT CALLED A SUPER COCKPIT, NEXT SLIDE. AND THE SUPER COCKPIT, WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS TAKE THIS INFORMATION USING HOLOGRAPHIC LENS. MEASUREMENT OF THE FINGER AND HAND POSITION. AND PROVIDE THIS COCKPIT ALONG WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENT AGENCY LIKE AN R2D2. THIS IS HAPPENING IN THE EARLY 1980s. AND SO WE WERE ACTUALLY DOING THIS AND FLYING IT. AND I WAS FLYING IN THE FIGHTER AIRPLANE TESTING A LOT OF THIS EQUIPMENT, AT LEAST IN THE EARLY DAYS. SO WHAT THIS WAS TRYING TO DO AS YOU SEE IN THIS PHOTO OF THIS SUPER COCKPIT IN 1986 YOU SEE AN ARTIST'S REPRESENTATION OF THESE FUNCTIONS. WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS TAKE THE COCKPIT THAT YOU SEE ON THE RIGHT WHICH IS ACTUALLY AN F-18 COCKPIT. IT'S THE NAVY AIRPLANE AND CONVERT IT TO THE NEXT SLIDE YOU SEE, WHICH IS BASICALLY THIS PICTURE THAT FUSES ALL OF THE INFORMATION FOR MOST OF THE DISPLAYS INTO ONE CIRCUM AMBIENCE. NOW, I ENDED UP AS A RESULT OF THIS KIND OF RESEARCH GETTING A CALL FROM A GENTLEMAN IN THE PENTAGON WHO SAID WE WANT TO HAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE ABOUT THE WORK YOU'RE DOING. BECAUSE THE MILITARY AND THE AIR FORCE IN PARTICULAR NEED SOME POSITIVE PUBLICIST. THEY ORCHESTRATED THAT I BE ON THE CBS EVENING NEWS AND TALK ABOUT MY SUPER COCKPIT WORK. THAT CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER. BECAUSE, YES, I WAS ON THE DAN RATHERS PROGRAM, DAVID MARTIN CAME IN AND SPENT TWO DAYS TAPING WHAT I WAS DOING IN MY LABORATORY AT PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE. AS A RESULT I STARTED GETTING THESE PHONE CALLS FROM PEOPLE. AND THE FIRST PHONE CALL I GOT WAS A MOTHER THAT SAID MY CHILD HAS CEREBRAL PALSY. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO WITH THAT TECHNOLOGY TO HELP MY CHILD? AND I THOUGHT ABOUT IT. AND I SAID WOW. WE COULD DO THIS. THIS TECHNOLOGY BASICALLY PROVIDES THIS EFFECTIVE WAY AT GETTING IN AND OUT OF THE BRAIN. AND SO AFTER THAT I GOT DOZENS AND DOZENS OF PHONE CALLS BY SURGEONS, FIRE FIGHTING COMPANIES, ANESTHESIOLOGISTS WERE CALLING ABOUT HOW WE COULD USE THIS TECHNOLOGY TO TRANSFORM THE LIMITATIONS IN EVIDENCE IN THEIR WORKPLACE. WELL, I BEGAN THE BALL ROLLING TO ACTUALLY LEAVE THE AIR FORCE, LEAVE THE MILITARY. 1989 I MOVED TO SEATTLE TO START THE FIRST HUMAN INTERFACE TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY WITH THE IDEA OF TAKING THE TECHNOLOGY I HAD BEEN WORKING ON IN THE MILITARY AND CONVERT IT INTO SOMETHING THAT OTHER PEOPLE CAN USE. NEXT SLIDE. YOU SEE THAT ONE OF THE FIRST PROJECTS I STARTED WORKING ON HAD TO DO WITH DISABILITY. BECAUSE WE COULD PROVIDE MOBILITY TO PEOPLE VIRTUALLY THAT THEY COULDN'T HAVE PHYSICALLY. AND ANOTHER THING THAT HAPPENED WAS IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING BETTER TECHNOLOGY TO GET THESE IMAGES INTO THE HEAD, I INVENTED WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE VIRTUAL RETINAL DISPLAY. THIS WAS A SCAN AND IMAGE DIRECTLY ON THE IMAGE OF THE EYE. YOU HAD A PHOTON BEAM THAT PROJECTED TO THE RETINA ITSELF. AND THEN WHAT YOU SEE IS THIS INCREDIBLE HIGH RESOLUTION COLOR SATURATED IMAGE PROJECTED IN WHAT APPEARED TO BE IN SPACE. BUT IT WASN'T REALLY THERE BUT APPEARED TO BE THERE. >>BILL: I JUST WANTED TO INSERT A COMMENT THAT I'M REALLY STRUCK BY HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON THESE UNDERPINNINGS REALLY THAT ARE WELL AT WORK HERE IN OUR PLATFORMS TODAY, THE SPATIAL AUDIO, THE PRESENTATION TECHNIQUE, THE BODY TRACKING, THE HAND, GESTURE TRACKING, HEAD POSE. I JUST WANTED TO REMARK THAT THAT'S REALLY IMPRESSIVE TO SEE THAT THOSE CONCEPTS HAVE BEEN TAKING SHAPE FROM THIS EARLY RESEARCH WELL INTO TODAY. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT. >> TOM: YOU BET. IT'S SORT OF BEEN ONE OF THOSE THINGS AGAIN WHERE I'VE BEEN STUMBLING INTO THIS AND THIS APPLICATION FOR ACCESSIBILITY. AND ONE OF THE ONES THAT YOU SEE HERE ARE OF THE VIRTUAL RETINAL DISPLAY IS WHEN WE STARTED TURNING THIS ON AND STARTED USING IT IN THE LABORATORY. WE HAD A PERSON WHO CAME IN AND ACTUALLY WAS LOOKING INTO OUR OPTICAL BENCH WHERE WE ARE SCANNING AN IMAGE DIRECTLY ON HIS RETINA. AND WE SHOWED HIM HOW IT WORKED. AND HE SAID THIS IS AMAZING. WE SAID, WELL, TAKE OFF YOUR SPECTACLES. YOU DON'T NEED YOUR SPECTACLES. IT'S JUST AS CLEAR WITHOUT MY SPECTACLES AS WITH MY SPECTACLES. BECAUSE WE REALLY AREN'T USING THE LENS. WE WERE GOING DIRECTLY TO THE RETINA, TO THE PUPIL OF THE EYE. AND ON HIS OWN HE HAPPENED TO LOOK WITH HIS OTHER EYE. THIS WAS A SYSTEM AT THE TIME. AND HE SAID, WAIT A MINUTE, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? WE SAID, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? HE SAYS I CAN SEE WITH MY BLIND EYE. WE SAID WHAT? YEAH, I CAN SEE THAT IMAGE NOW WITH MY BLIND EYE. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WE DIDN'T KNOW. [ LAUGHTER ] AND WE FOUND OUT THAT HE HAD BEEN IN AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT, IT LEFT A LOT OF SCAR TISSUE IN HIS LEFT EYE. AND SO WE WENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF OPHTHALMOLOGY. AND THEY WERE WORKING WITH PATIENTS. IT WAS HELPING WITH THAT. OTHER PROBLEMS IN VISION. AGAIN, THIS IS WITH A PATENT THAT STARTED IN 1995 THAT IS NOW EXPIRED. BUT THAT TECHNOLOGY IS THERE THAT CAN BE INDEED A POSSIBILITY OF PROVIDING A PROCESS FOR LOW VISION. SO, LET'S MOVE ON HERE. THOSE WERE ALL THINGS THAT WERE GOING ON AT UDUB. AND WE HAD A PROJECT THAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE RESOURCE CENTER FOR THE HANDICAP. I WENT WITH RICH WALSH TO VISIT WITH THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION, SECRETARY OF LABOR, THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. AND BASICALLY THEIR RESPONSE WAS, YEAH, THIS VR WOULD BE GREAT FOR US. BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY. IT'S ALL TIED UP IN ENTITLEMENTS. I TALKED TO JUSTIN. HE WAS JUST FINISHING UP THE ADA. AND JUSTIN SAID, YES, WE NEED THIS. AND I SAID, WELL, THE PROBLEM IS WHERE DO YOU GO TO GET THIS UNDERWAY? BECAUSE THERE REALLY WAS NO REPOSITORY. THERE REALLY WAS NO NEXUS FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. SO LET'S MOVE ON. IN THE NEXT SLIDE. I WAS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THIS WORK, AND I BRIEFLY COMB OVER A LITTLE BIT OF IT, WE SPAWNED OFF 27 OF THOSE COMPANIES. ONE OF THOSE COMPANIES IS TODAY IN THE NASDAQ FOR ABOUT $12 BILLION. AND BRING ALONG THE CORE OF THE TECHNOLOGY WE SEE TODAY CALLED VIRTUAL REALITY AND AUGMENTED REALITY. BUT I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO USE THE TECHNOLOGY. WE'RE UNLEASHING AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF ENERGY. WE'RE AWAKENING SPATIAL MEMORY. WE'RE GIVING PEOPLE THINGS THAT IT'S LIKE LIGHTING ON THE BRAIN WITH PERMANENT INK. WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT THAT THE WAY WE USE TECHNOLOGY. SO I STARTED THE VIRTUOSO SOCIETY WITH THE IDEA THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE THE CONSCIENCE. VR CHANGES EVERYTHING. IT IS BOUNDLESS. AND WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE WAY WE APPLY IT. AND ESPECIALLY APPLIED FOR PROBLEMS THAT REALLY NEED TO BE SOLVED. AND SO I STARTED THE VIRTUOSO SOCIETY. WE NOW HAVE ABOUT 1,500 MEMBERS WITH THE WHOLE IDEA THAT WE WANTED TO UNLOCK INTELLIGENCE AND LINK MINDS GLOBALLY. IN THE NEXT SLIDE YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE MANIFESTO. WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO TALK ABOUT IT NOW. THE MANIFESTO FOR VR HAS 14 POINTS. BUT THE FIRST POINT IS THAT WE'RE PLAYING WITH FIRE. THE SECOND POINT IS DO NO HARM WITH THAT FIRE BUT USE IT FOR GOOD. LET'S MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE. >> BILL: CAN YOU COVER SOME OF THE WORK YOU'RE DOING? I AM FASCINATED BY HOW MUCH THIS IS HELPING TO BRING THE ETHICS IN OUR DISCUSSION FORWARD, WHICH I'VE SEEN HAPPEN WITH YOUR OTHER TALK. IT'D BE REALLY INTERESTING TO HEAR SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING. >> TOM: WELL, CERTAINLY WE BELIEVE THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A CODE OF ETHICS. THERE NEEDS TO BE AN APPRECIATION FOR HOW A TECHNOLOGY TOOL FITS IN WITH THE CONTINUUM. BECAUSE IT IS TECHNOLOGY AND THIS IS A TOOL THAT WE CAN USE TO ENHANCE OUR CREATIVITY, TO ENHANCE OUR LEARNING ABILITIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND OVER THE YEARS WE'VE CONDUCTED MANY, MANY PROJECTS ABOUT THIS. FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT BY INDUSTRY. FOR EXAMPLE, THIS SLIDE MAKING LEARNING FUN. WE FAILED TO -- SINCE WE'RE AWAKENING SPECIAL MEMORY AND YOU'RE WRITING ON THE BRAIN WITH PERMANENT INK, THIS IS AMAZING FOR EDUCATION. AND NOT ONLY EDUCATION FOR KIDS BUT ALSO TRAINING FOR ADULTS. AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID. JUST LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE PROJECT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WE STARTED A PROJECT AT A MIDDLE SCHOOL HERE IN SEATTLE. AND WHAT WE DID IN THAT PROJECT WAS WE HAD SIXTH GRADERS DEVELOP VIRTUAL WORLDS TO TEACH S.T.E.M. SUBJECTS TO OTHER SIXTH GRADERS. AND HERE YOU SEE SOME PHOTOGRAPHS WHERE THEY'RE ACTUALLY BUILDING SOME VIRTUAL WORLD. THEY HAD TO LEARN THE STUFF. AND IT'S INTERESTING THAT THESE KIDS AREN'T INTIMIDATED AT ALL BY THE TECHNOLOGY. THESE ARE 11 AND 12-YEAR-OLD KIDS THAT ARE MAKING CONTENT TO TEACH SUBJECTS THROUGH VIRTUAL REALITY. THIS IS SO EMPOWERING BECAUSE THEY CAN DO IT. AND WE CAN UNLOCK -- THIS IS BACK TO THE UNLOCKING OF WHAT INTELLIGENCE WE HAVE INSIDE, USE TRADITIONAL PEDAGOGY, WE DON'T NECESSARILY GET THERE, BUT THIS TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS US TO UNLEASH THAT, TO PROVIDE THAT PORTAL. AND THEN THERE IS THE QUESTION OF HOW DO YOU MAKE THAT ACCESSIBLE? I'VE BEEN DOING WORK WITH A NUMBER OF PEOPLE, AND HOW DO YOU PROVIDE ACCESSIBILITY TO ELDERLY PEOPLE? WHERE THEY ARE ISOLATED, THEY'RE LONELY, AND THEY SURE WOULD LIKE TO BE WITH THEIR FAMILY. BUT THEIR FAMILIES ARE A THOUSAND MILES AWAY. SO, VR LETS US DO THAT. WE'RE ABLE TO ALLOW THEM TO GO JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE THEY WANT TO IN THE WORLD. AND INCLUDING GOING INTO THEIR FAMILY'S HOME AND CELEBRATING THE BIRTHDAY WITH THEIR GRAND KIDS. AND THIS IS AMAZING. NOT ONLY CAN WE DO THAT, BUT WE CAN AWAKEN AND HELP PROVIDE THERAPY TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. NOT TO MENTION WHAT WE CAN DO IN PROVIDING OTHER MODALITIES, EVEN CROSS MODALITIES TO INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE LOW VISION, WHO ARE DEAF, OR WHO HAVE OTHER FORMS OF PHYSICAL DISABILITIES WHERE THEY CAN'T MOBILIZE. SO, THESE ARE PROJECTS THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON OVER THE YEARS. AND NOT ONLY WE BUT A NUMBER OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD. AND WE WANT TO TRY TO ENCOURAGE THAT THROUGH THE VIRTUOSO SOCIETY. >> BILL: TOM, I THINK THESE EXAMPLES ARE GREAT BECAUSE YOU'RE SPEAKING TO A COUPLE OF THINGS OF COURSE THAT WE'RE ALL CONCERNED ABOUT. ONE IS REALLY THE DESIGN OF THE FUNCTIONALITY AND THE FEATURES THEMSELVES BEING BENEFITTED BY WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TO DESIGN THESE FUNCTIONALITIES, WHICH WE CAN UNLOCK INNOVATION TO DO THAT. AND ALSO THE USE CASES TO SUPPORT AND ENABLE PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF THEIR ABILITY IN THESE DIFFERENT SETTINGS. SO THESE ARE REALLY FASCINATING AND I APPRECIATE THE EXAMPLE. I'D BE CURIOUS AS WE MOVE TOWARD THE NEXT AND SORT OF WRAP UP BEFORE OUR QUESTIONS WHAT YOUR PERSPECTIVE IS THE WORK THAT WE'RE ALL TRYING TO DO AS A COMMUNITY. >> TOM: THAT'S A REALLY GREAT QUESTION. AND MY FEELING IS THAT JUST LIKE WE'RE EXPERIENCING WITH THE ISSUE OF RACISM WITH LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD WITH PROVIDING NOT ONLY ACCESSIBILITY FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE DISABILITIES BUT ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL PEOPLE. TO ME, LISTENING IS IMPORTANT. WE AS TECHNOLOGISTS OFTEN SAY, OH, GOSH, WE HAVE THE SOLUTION. AND IT'S SORT OF ONE OF THOSE TECHNOLOGY PUSH THINGS RATHER THAN THE REQUIREMENTS OR THE APPLICATION. AND I THINK WE HAVE TO DO BOTH. WE HAVE TO HAVE THIS TENSION BETWEEN THE PUSH AND THE PULL. BUT LISTENING IS KEY. AND LISTENING TO INDIVIDUALS. IN THE CASE OF THE ACCESSIBILITY COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT LIKE THERE'S ONE SOLUTION. >> BILL: RIGHT. >> TOM: IT'S ALMOST LIKE EVERY INDIVIDUAL HAS TO HAVE A CUSTOM SOLUTION FOR THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATION. TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP WITH THAT. I BELIEVE WE HAVE THE TOOL KITS THAT EXIST NOW AND WITH THE NEW ALGORITHM AND MACHINE LEARNING, WE CAN ADAPT TO INDIVIDUALS. BUT WE HAVE TO LISTEN. AND WE HAVE TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT ADAPTATION. THE OTHER THING TOO THAT COMES FROM THIS, WHICH WE SEE WITH THE KIDS, WE SEE WITH ALL OF THESE SITUATIONS WITH VR, THERE IS EMERGENCE. EMERGENCE MEANS WE DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. BUT SOMETHING NEW COMES OUT OF IT. AND SOMETHING THAT IS WONDERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL THAT CAN BE APPLIED IN MANY CASES. THE AND SO WE NEED TO BE THERE AND HAVE A SYNERGETIC ORGANIZATION THAT'S ABLE TO MONITOR THOSE THINGS AND PROVIDE A REPOSITORY OF THOSE EXPERIENCES SO OTHER PEOPLE CAN SHARE IN IT. THE WORK HAS BEEN SO FRACTIONATED OVER THE YEARS. AND PERHAPS THE ACCESSIBILITY COMMUNITY AND INITIATIVE THAT YOU'RE DOING WILL BE PART OF THAT. SO, IN THE END, WE NEED TO PROVIDE A WAY OF CONNECTING ALL THE DOTS THAT ALLOW US TO HAVE A MOVEMENT AND NOT ALL OF THESE THINGS -- I WAS AMAZED ABOUT WE WERE TRYING TO WORK ON THIS VIRTUAL RETINAL DISPLAY FOR LOW VISION. EVERY TIME YOU WENT TO ANOTHER STATE, THERE'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT SET OF PEOPLE YOU NEED TO TALK TO. THERE WAS NO CENTRAL GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY IN THIS WAY. AND SO THE PROBLEM IS HOW DO WE GET OUR HEADS TOGETHER AND COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER WITH EVERYBODY INVOLVED, INCLUDING THE PEOPLE WHO NEED THE TECHNOLOGY? THEY NEED TO BE A VOICE IN ALL OF THIS. AND THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT I SEE THAT ARE GOING TO BE -- IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY. I MEAN, WE CAN DO IT. WE CAN DO PRETTY MUCH THE TECHNOLOGY. IT'S ALL ABOUT HOW DO WE APPLY THE TECHNOLOGY. AND THAT APPLICATION REQUIRES LISTENING. >> BILL: THANK YOU, TOM. I KNOW THAT WE COULD GO ON AND ON AND REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF THE THOUGHTS YOU SHARED WITH US. I THINK NOW WE'RE GOING TO TURN TOWARDS THE QUESTION SEGMENT. SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO SEE IF WE HAVE QUESTIONS FROM OUR AUDIENCE. I ALSO WANT TO MAKE A BRIEF COMMENT THAT THESE SLIDES WILL BE ON OUR WEBSITE. SO YOU CAN FIND THOSE LATER. SO JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT COMMENT. DO WE HAVE QUESTIONS? >> MODERATOR: WE DO. SO, CAMERON IN SLACK ASKS, IT'S AMAZING THAT SO MUCH FOUNDATIONAL TECHNOLOGY WAS DEVELOPED IN THE '60s AND '70s. WHO ELSE IS DOING THIS LEVEL OF INNOVATION NOW, AND HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO ADVANCE? >> TOM: WELL, CERTAINLY THE MILITARY SPURRED THE INITIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THIS TECHNOLOGY. A LITTLE WORK DONE BY NSF. BUT THE UNIVERSITIES FROM THE MILITARY AND THE MILITARY CONTRACTORS HAVE PICKED UP THE GAUNTLET AND ARE DOING A LOT OF THE, I BELIEVE, THE PIONEERING WORK WITH THE TECHNOLOGY, THE CORE TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED TO DO THIS AS WELL AS THE APPLICATIONS. NOW, IT'S GOOD TO SEE THE INDUSTRY INVOLVED WITH OCULUS, FACEBOOK OCULUS AND HDC AND INTEL, ALL OF THESE PEOPLE. BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY NEED GUIDANCE. THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO TAP THE NEED. AND THIS IS WHY WE NEED A COMMUNITY THAT CAN EXPRESS THOSE NEEDS AND PROVIDE THE GUIDELINES SO THAT THE TECHNOLOGY CAN BE DEVELOPED THAT REALLY HELP PEOPLE. >> BILL: AND THAT'S A GREAT POINT, TOM. JUST TO UNDERSCORE THAT, SO MUCH OF THE WORK OF OUR WORKING GROUPS AND ALSO THE TOPICS FOR OUR BREAKOUTS TOMORROW ARE REALLY ABOUT USER NEED, FRONT AND CENTER. THAT IS SOMETHING WE REALLY WANT TO HARVEST FROM ALL OF YOU WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN THIS EFFORT. AND I WANT TO UNDERSCORE THAT. DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? >> MODERATOR: SURE. THE NEXT QUESTION IS UP ON SLACK. THE QUESTION IS WHAT ARE THE NEXT DISTINCT CHALLENGES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED? >> TOM: WELL, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. I BELIEVE THAT THE MAIN PROBLEM THAT EXISTS NOW IS HOW DO WE INCORPORATE MACHINE LEARNING INTO ADAPTIVE INTERFACES? I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE TALKED A LOT ABOUT AI IN DEEP LEARNING AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT THIS IS RIPE FOR APPLICATION. BECAUSE PEOPLE -- WE FIND THAT PEOPLE LEARN DIFFERENTLY. WE EXPECT STUDENTS WITH THE PEDAGOGY TODAY TO ALL LEARN THE SAME WAY. THEY DON'T. AND WE KNOW THAT NOW. AND ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS ABOUT VR IS THAT THERE CAN BE ALTERNATIVE LEARNING APPROACHES WHERE STUDENTS CAN INVOLVE THEIR WHOLE BODIES IN LEARNING IF THEY NEED TO. AND WE STUDIED THIS OVER MANY YEARS. BUT THE SAME CAN BE TRUE WITH ACCESSIBILITY BECAUSE WE CAN TEACH THE MACHINES TO DO EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED TO DO FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL. AND THIS IS IN ALL ASPECTS OF ACCESSIBILITY, I BELIEVE. THE BIGGEST THING THAT'S ON THE HORIZON THAT WE NEED TO CONCENTRATE ON IN ADDITION TO LISTENING IS TO PROVIDE THESE COMPONENTS, MODULES THAT CAN BE PUT TOGETHER WITH MACHINE LEARNING SO THAT THEY ADAPT TO THE USER. AND BASICALLY TUNE AND START LEARNING SO THAT THIS OPTIMIZES. WE SAW SOME OF THIS WITH STEPHEN HAWKING, WHAT HE WAS ABLE TO DO WITH VERY LIMITED ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD. BUT HE DID IT. HE WROTE THESE BOOKS AND PROVIDED US A WHOLE NEW WORLD TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT OUR UNIVERSE. SO THERE ARE MARVELOUS MINDS THERE THAT WE WANT TO PROVIDE THAT PORTAL SO THAT THEY CAN GET IT OUT WHAT'S INSIDE OF THEM OUT. AND I BELIEVE THAT FROM A TECHNOLOGY STANDPOINT, PROBABLY THE NEXT THING HAS TO DO WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. >> BILL: I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT'S ONE REASON WE PUT A BREAKOUT IN. TOMORROW I'LL BE FACILITATING ACTUALLY AI AND MACHINE LEARNING AND THE CONNECTION WITH XR. AND THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO DO THERE WITH REDUCING BIAS AND OTHER AVENUES TO EXPLORE. SO LOOK FOR THAT IN THE REPORTBACK AND ALSO VIEWERS THAT ARE PARTICIPATING. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO TOM AS WE WRAP UP AND ENCOURAGE YOU EACH TO CHECK OUT THE VIRTUAL WORLD SOCIETY AT VIRTUALWORLDSOCIETY.ORG AND REACH OUT TO TOM AT VIRTUALWORLDSOCIETY.ORG AND LINKEDIN. THANK YOU, TOM, SO MUCH. >> TOM: THANK YOU, BILL. THANKS, EVERYONE. BEST WISHES.