UDC

[141:111.1]+004.8

DOI

10.37482/2227-6564-V055

Authors

Mikhail Yu. Openkov
Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov;
ul. Smol’nyy Buyan 1, Arkhangelsk, 163002, Russian Federation;
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1500-0401 e-mail: m.openkov@narfu.ru
Vladimir S. Varakin
Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov;
ul. Smol’nyy Buyan 1, Arkhangelsk, 163002, Russian Federation;
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2229-0283 e-mail: s.varakin@narfu.ru

Abstract

In this article, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are analysed from the standpoint of digital materialism, which states that any digital matter (including VR and AR) is an in-material construct. The authors describe VR and AR as special ontological models. It is emphasized that the basis for the creation and development of VR and AR is the sense of touch, which, in its turn, is a fusion of sensations, including optic ones. Moreover, the authors consider the hand to be the source of and a metaphor for VR and AR: it is the main organ of the human body responsible for touch and, therefore, determines haptics as a fundamental mode of comprehension of regular reality. Thus, the concept of entelechy introduced by Aristotle can serve as a key to understand how VR and AR are implemented and presented. If, according to Aristotle, the soul as a hand is the entelechy of a natural body, then a hand in a cyber glove, which makes staying in VR possible, is the entelechy of a body converged with the electronic and digital environment. In the case of AR, a hand does not necessarily require technogarments and turns out to be the entelechy of a non-technological body immersed, with its help, into the electronic and digital environment. As a result, VR and AR themselves become the entelechies, that is, tangible, or, in other words, haptically perceived forms and images of being. The authors conclude that both VR and AR depend on human experience and are ontologically irresponsible. Allowing a person to comprehend his/her own existence in the affordances bestowed upon him/her, VR and AR demonstrate how the human body reacts to the work of the brain immersed into the virtual and augmented worlds.
For citation: Openkov M.Yu., Varakin V.S. Virtual/Augmented Realities, Haptics, and Problems of Ontology. Vestnik Severnogo (Arkticheskogo) federal’nogo universiteta. Ser.: Gumanitarnye i sotsial’nye nauki, 2020, no. 5, pp. 114–127. DOI: 10.37482/2227-6564-V055

Keywords

virtual reality, augmented reality, haptics, ontological model, touch, soul as a hand, entelechy, digital matter

References

1. King B. Augmented: Life in the Smart Lane. Marshall Cavendish International, 2016. 448 p. (Russ. ed.: King B. Epokha dopolnennoy real’nosti. Moscow, 2018. 528 p.).
2. Alekseeva I.Yu., Arshinov V.I., Chekletsov V.V. “Tekhnolyudi” protiv “postlyudey”: NBIKS-revolyutsiya i budushchee cheloveka [“Techno-People” Against “Post-People”: NBIKS-Revolution and the Future of Man]. Voprosy filosofii, 2013, no. 3, pp. 12–21. Available at: http://vphil.ru/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=717&Ite mid=52 (accessed: 28 March 2020).
3. Longo G.O. Homo Technologicus. Rome, 2001. 214 p.
4. Gingras Y. Éloge de l’homo techno-logicus. Montréal, 2005. 50 p.
5. Warwick K. Homo Technologicus: Threat or Opportunity? Philosophies, 2016, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 199–208. DOI: 10.3390/philosophies1030199
6. Emelin V.A. Tekhnologii kak faktor transformatsii identichnosti: stanovlenie HOMO TECHNOLOGICUS [Technology as a Factor of Identity Transformation: Development of HOMO TECHNOLOGICUS]. Natsional’nyy psikhologicheskiy zhurnal, 2016, no. 1, pp. 9–18. DOI: 10.11621/npj.2016.0102
7. Il’in V.V. Tsivilizatsionnye puti Homo Technologicus: delikatnost’ ekzistentsial’nykh situatsiy [The Civilization Ways of Homo Technologicus: The Delicacy of Existential Situations]. Rossiyskiy gumanitarnyy zhurnal, 2019, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 165–183. DOI: 10.15643/libartrus-2019.3.1
8. Willis R.E. Complex Responsibility in an Age of Technology. Glennon F.E., Hauk G.S., Trimiew D.M. (eds.). Living Responsibly in Community. Lanham, 1997, pp. 245–266.
9. Galván J.M. On Technoethics. IEEE Robotics Autom. Mag., 2003, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 58–63.
10. Ward L. Homo technicus: Vash upgrade uzhe gotov [Redefining the Human: The Upgradable You]. Populyarnaya mekhanika, 28 August 2006. Available at: https://www.popmech.ru/science/5644-homo-technicus-vash-upgrade-uzhe-gotov/ (accessed: 28 March 2020).
11. Luppicini R. The Emerging Field of Technoself Studies (TSS). Luppicini R. (ed.). Handbook of Research on Technoself: Identity in a Technological Society. Hershey, 2013. Vol. 1, pp. 1–25.
12. Karpenko T.M. Ekzistentsial’nye perspektivy homo technicus [Existential Prospects of Homo Technicus]. Aktual’nye voprosy obshchestvennykh nauk: sotsiologiya, politologiya, filosofiya, istoriya, 2015, no. 11, pp. 25–35.
13. Harari Y.N. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. Harvill Secker, 2015. 448 p. (Russ. ed.: Kharari Yu.N. Homo Deus. Kratkaya istoriya budushchego. Moscow, 2018. 496 p.).
14. Lewis S.L., Maslin M.A. Defining the Anthropocene. Nature, 2015, vol. 519, pp. 171–180. DOI: 10.1038/nature14258
15. Carrington D. The Anthropocene Epoch: Scientists Declare Dawn of Human-Influenced Age. The Guardian, 29 August 2016. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/29/declare-anthropocene-epochexperts-urge-geologica... (accessed: 28 March 2020).
16. Shmelev D., Cherbunina M. Chelovek prikhodit kak khozyain: pochemu uchenye priznali nastuplenie epokhi antropotsena [Human Comes as a Master: Why Scientists Have Recognized the Onset of the Anthropocene Era]. Forbes,
17 September 2016. Available at: http://www.forbes.ru/mneniya/idei/328601-chelovek-prokhodit-kak-khozyainpochemu-uchenye-priznali-nas... (accessed: 28 March 2020).
17. Hazen R.M., Grew E.S., Origlieri M.J., Downs R.T. On the Mineralogy of the “Anthropocene Epoch”. Am. Mineral., 2017, vol. 102, no. 3, pp. 595–611. DOI: 10.2138/am-2017-5875
18. Turney C.S.M., Palmer J., Maslin M.A., Hogg A., Fogwill C.J., Southon J., Fenwick P., Helle G., Wilmshurst J.M., McGlone M., Bronk Ramsey C., Thomas Z., Lipson M., Beaven B., Jones R.T., Andrews O., Hua Q. Global Peak in Atmospheric Radiocarbon Provides a Potential Definition for the Onset of the Anthropocene Epoch in 1965. Sci. Rep., 2018, vol. 8. Art. no. 3293. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20970-5
19. Carlin A.S., Hoffman H.G., Weghorst S. Virtual Reality and Tactile Augmentation in the Treatment of Spider Phobia: A Case Study. Behav. Res. Ther., 1997, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 153–158. DOI: 10.1016/s0005-7967(96)00085-x
20. Hoffman H.G. Physically Touching Virtual Objects Using Tactile Augmentation Enhances the Realism of Virtual Environments. Proceedings. IEEE 1998 Virtual Reality Annual International Symposium. Atlanta, 1998, pp. 59–63. DOI: 10.1109/VRAIS.1998.658423
21. Hoffman H.G., Hollander A., Schroder K., Rousseau S., Furness T. Physically Touching and Tasting Virtual Objects Enhances the Realism of Virtual Experiences. Virtual Real., 1998, vol. 3, pp. 226–234. DOI: 10.1007/BF01408703
22. van den Boomen M., Lammes S., Lehmann A.-S., Raessens J., Schäfer M.T. Introduction: From the Virtual to Matters of Fact and Concern. van den Boomen M., Lammes S., Lehmann A.-S., Raessens J., Schäfer M.T. (eds.). Digital Material: Tracing New Media in Everyday Life and Technology. Amsterdam, 2009, pp. 7–17.
23. Casemajor N. Digital Materialisms: Frameworks for Digital Media Studies. Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture, 2015, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 4–17. DOI: 10.16997/wpcc.209
24. Reichert R., Richterich A. Introduction: Digital Materialism. Digit. Cult. Soc., 2015, vol. 1, no. 1: Digital Material/ism, pp. 5–17.
25. Taratuta E.E. Filosofiya virtual’noy real’nosti [The Philosophy of Virtual Reality]. St. Petersburg, 2007. 147 p.
26. Lanier J. Dawn of the New Everything. Encounters with Reality and Virtual Reality. New York, 2017. 351 p. (Russ. ed.: Lan’e Dzh. Na zare novoy ery. Avtobiografiya ottsa virtual’noy real’nosti. Moscow, 2019. 494 p.).
27. Linden D.J. Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind. London, 2015 (Russ. ed.: Linden D. Osyazanie: chuvstvo, kotoroe delaet nas lyud’mi. Moscow, 2019. 314 p.).
28. Krum D.M., Kang S.-H., Phan T. Influences on the Elicitation of Interpersonal Space with Virtual Humans. Proceedings of the 25th IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR). Reutlingen, 2018, pp. 223–229. DOI: 10.1109/VR.2018.8446235
29. Descartes R. Dioptrika [Dioptrics]. Descartes R. Rassuzhdenie o metode s prilozheniyami: Dioptrika, Meteory, Geometriya [Discourse on the Method with Supplements: Dioptrics, Meteors, Geometry]. Moscow, 1953, pp. 67–187.
30. Berkeley G. Berkli Dzh. Opyt novoy teorii zreniya [An Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision]. Berkeley G. Sochineniya [Works]. Moscow, 1978, pp. 49–136.
31. Mitchell W.J.T. Vizual’nykh media ne sushchestvuet [There Are No Visual Media]. Media: mezhdu magiey i tekhnologiey [Media: Between Magic and Technology]. Moscow, 2014, pp. 128–143.
32. Aristotle. O dushe [On the Soul]. Aristotle. Sochineniya [Works]. Vol. 1. Moscow, 1976, pp. 369–448.
33. Debray R. Introduction à la médiologie. Paris, 2000. 223 p. (Russ. ed.: Debre R. Vvedenie v mediologiyu. Moscow, 2010. 368 p.).
34. Bolz N. Das ABC der Medien. Munich, 2007. 163 p. (Russ. ed.: Bol’ts N. Azbuka media. Moscow, 2011. 136 p.).
35. Sharafiev I. Novye VR-perchatki pozvolyayut chuvstvovat’ virtual’nye ob”ekty [New VR Gloves Allow You to Feel Virtual Objects]. Khaytek, 29 December 2019. Available at: https://hightech.fm/2019/12/29/vr-gloves (accessed: 28 March 2020).
36. Rumak N. Tomas Tsimmerman, IBM, – o tom, kak ostanovit’ konets sveta, spasaya plankton [Thomas Zimmerman, IBM, on How to Prevent the End of the World by Saving Plankton]. Khaytek, 14 June 2018. Available at: https://hightech.fm/2018/06/14/ibm-12 (accessed: 28 March 2020).
37. Descartes R. Mir, ili Traktat o svete [The World, or Treatise on the Light]. Descartes R. Sochineniya [Works]. Vol. 1. Moscow, 1989, pp. 180–249.
38. Openkov M.Yu., Varakin V.S. Kognitivnye problemy dopolnennoy real’nosti [Cognitive Problems of Augmented Reality]. Kognitivnye issledovaniya na sovremennom etape [Cognitive Research Today]. Arkhangelsk, 2018, pp. 213–217. Available at: https://narfu.ru/upload/medialibrary/ec1/Sbornik-KISE_2018-_isbn_-.pdf (accessed: 28 March 2020).
39. Caudell T.P., Mizell D.W. Augmented Reality: An Application of Heads-Up Display Technology to Manual Manufacturing Processes. Proceedings of the 25th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Vol. 2. Kauai, 1992, pp. 659–669. DOI: 10.1109/HICSS.1992.183317
40. Azuma R.T. A Survey of Augmented Reality. Presence: Teleoperators Virtual Environ., 1997, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 355–385.
41. Baum L.F. Volshebnyy vyklyuchatel’: Elektricheskaya skazka [The Master Key: An Electrical Fairy Tale]. Moscow, 2016. 246 p.
42. Carmichael J. Did L. Frank Baum Predict Augmented Reality or Warn Us About Its Power? Inverse, 12 July 2016. Available at: https://www.inverse.com/article/18146-l-frank-baum-the-master-key-augmented-reality-futurism (accessed: 28 March 2020).
43. Papagiannis H. Augmented Human. How Technology Is Shaping the New Reality. Sebastopol, 2017. 139 p. (Russ. ed.: Papagiannis Kh. Dopolnennaya real’nost’. Vse, chto vy khoteli uznat’ o tekhnologii budushchego. Moscow, 2019. 288 p.).
44. Sodhi R., Poupyrev I., Glisson M., Israr A. AIREAL: Interactive Tactile Experience in Free Air. ACM Trans. Graph., 2013, vol. 32, no. 4. Art. no. 134. DOI: 10.1145/2461912.2462007
45. Baraniuk C. Haptic Holograms Let You Touch the Void in VR. New Sci., 1 December 2014. Available at: https:// www.newscientist.com/article/dn26640-haptic-holograms-let-you-touch-the-void-in-vr/?ignored=irreleva... (accessed: 28 March 2020).
46. Shu L. Smartstones Touch Brings a Voice to Those Who Can’t Speak. Digit. Trends, 23 March 2015. Available at: https://www.digitaltrends.com/wearables/smartstones-touch-brings-a- voice-to-those-who-cant-speak/ (accessed: 28 March 2020).
47. Obrist M., Subramanian S., Gatti E., Long B., Carter T. Emotions Mediated Through Mid-Air Haptics. Proceedings of the ACM CHI 2015. Seoul, 2015, pp. 2053–2062. DOI: 10.1145/2702123.2702361
48. Gibson J.J. The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception. Boston, 1979 (Russ. ed.: Gibson Dzh. Ekologicheskiy podkhod k zritel’nomu vospriyatiyu. Moscow, 1988. 464 p.).