Technology has come a long way and has advanced rapidly over the last decade. Can you imagine that we didn’t have shiny Android camera phones just two decades ago? But every new piece of technology brings new, initially foreign, and potentially confusing terminology.

Some of it, such as the aptly-named computational photography, makes sense right off the bat. But there’s more obscure terminology, such as spatial computing. In this article, we find out what spatial computing is and delve into its application within various industries.

What is spatial computing?

Spatial computing is a relatively new term coined by Simon Greenwold in 2003. In a nutshell, spatial computing deals with computer interactions that don’t employ analog controls. These interactions are replaced by body movements, hand gestures, eye movements, and speech.

VR, mixed reality headsets, and immersive augmented reality games are examples of spatial computing at its finest. By using the brain’s cognitive capacity and various body motions, spatial computing decreases the time between the request of an action and its execution.

Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro headset is an excellent example of spatial computing, albeit at an eye-watering price of $3,500. Companies like Magic Leap and Microsoft are working on their own pricey headsets. These are consumer-focused products. Spatial computing goes beyond our homes and is used in many industries.

What are spatial computing applications?

Spatial computing covers many aspects of daily life. For example, asking Google Assistant to play specific music is an example of spatial computing. So is having the lights turn on automatically when you come home. These are processes so integrated into our daily routines that we no longer view them as revolutionary.

Spatial computing has made its way into gaming, entertainment, and sports. It also plays an integral part in education, construction, research, and other fields. The following are some examples of how spatial computing improves day-to-day life.

Education

The role of spatial computing in education is invaluable. Because it creates virtual environments, spatial computing simulates almost any condition. Better yet, it realistically simulates these conditions without putting the actual participant in danger.

In theory, this can be applied to almost any field and is especially useful in the medical field, law enforcement, and the military, to name a few.

Entertainment

For decades, we’ve used physical controllers to guide in-game characters. Certain VR games let you control the process using movements and hand gestures. While this means of control is in its infancy, it’s one of the things set to make gaming more immersive.

Virtual events and meetings also fall into this category. For example, you can attend a sports event or a concert from the comfort of your home. It only takes a headset, and you’re there. Similarly, meetings on a platform such as the Metaverse fall under the spatial computing umbrella.

Healthcare

In this case, you could think of spatial computing as a heads-up display in a video game. This HUD contains all the valuable information you need while performing the task without referencing other materials. Similarly, a surgeon can apply an informational overlay during surgery to keep track of the procedure.

Manufacturing

In manufacturing, spatial computing acts as a safety tool. By employing sensors, it creates virtual boundaries to ensure workers remain safe and prevent dangerous machinery from causing harm to its operators.

Spatial computing is the future, available now

For now, those are the fundamentals of spatial computing. Apple’s Vision Pro headset is primed for an early 2024 release, and its success will likely determine how other big tech companies, including Google and Microsoft, will approach the development of spatial computing.