The Time Is Now: The Year of Immersive Tech

     One of the big waves of the future is immersive technology. Whether it's virtual reality, 4D Experiences, driving simulators, or augmented reality, people are always excited about the new things we can make people see with technology. Ultimately, the goal is to get somewhere right around here:

     While we're not there yet, we're getting better every year. And the 2018 Chicago Auto Show is latching on to that trend in a big way. There are more immersive experiences this year at the show than I ever remember seeing before. Chevy gives us a good look at things with their 4D Test Track Experience:

     You get to accompany a Chevy test driver on various Chevy proving grounds and test tracks throughout the world. This is an extremely immersive experience, and is easily the most immersive experience I've had. Between the VR goggles and the seat that vibrates and moves depending on the terrain you're crossing, this is a great experience that does what it sets out to do and passes with flying colors. The next one up is Honda, with their augmented reality experience. The best way I can describe augmented reality is like this:

     Honda's layout worked like this: the display took you through a course where you stopped at various locations and looked at different features about their vehicles. It was a very cool experience as well, as you were able to see the directions and presentations projected in front of your while still being able to see everything going on in front of you in the real world as well. That's what I find coolest about augmented reality, and why I still think it has a place in our technological toolbox.

     The other big innovation at the show are simulated driving experiences. Ford leads off the pack with its driving simulator, which is back for another year of fun. It works like this: you go up into a small space with racing seats surrounded by 3 screens giving you an almost 180 degree view. After that, you drive a course and get the feel of what it's like to be in a Ford Performance Vehicle. This is what it looks like:

     Then you have the Hyundai Racing Challenge. As part of the Hyundai exhibit, you can get the chance to race in a Hyundai vehicle, much like the Ford experience described above. But here's the fun part. In this experience, you can compete against your fellow auto show attendees. Several times each day, they have open qualifying rounds, where anyone can come up and drive the course. The top 8 times from the qualifying can then go on to a tournament, where players race head to head for the top price given out, which is a new Xbox.