Institute For The Future

Artifact from the Future: FuturU

 

As we step into the new year, many of us will be making resolutions that reflect our hopes and aspirations. It can be challenging to imagine how much we could change in the future. But why leave tomorrow to the imagination? Step into this booth and see a photorealistic avatar of a better you—calm, collegial, motivated, making the right choices in environments that support healthy habits. Even after 10 minutes your future is already looking bright.

This experience puts into action insights from behavioral psychology (see the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab and The Proteus Effect) about how our own image—simulated, altered, and reflected back to us—can strongly influence our decisions. Technologies that amplify our imaginations in immersive photorealistic environments will do the work for us to visualize improved futures and help us make them real.

This Artifact from the Future is a snapshot of what might emerge if forecasts about the future materialize. It was developed as part of our 2010 Science and Technology Map which explores where emerging technical abilities and scientific perspectives converge to fight illness and build well-being over the next decade.

Like all IFTF’s Artifacts from the Future, this image offers insights into future everyday lives and is intended to give you an immersive look at a possible future change.