November 27, 2015

Teleportation is perhaps one of those fantasies that most people have had. The idea of being able to be anywhere in the world is too enticing to pass up on but it is also something that is palpably impossible to achieve. However, Facebook is in the works of doing something just like that and we couldn’t be more excited.

Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer said at a press event today held in Dublin that he hopes to turn this fantasy into a reality. “Facebook wants to build a device that allows you to be anywhere you want, with anyone, regardless of geographical boundaries” Schroepfer said while addressing the summit.

Now before you start wondering how on earth this seemingly unreal technology will be created, you should know that Facebook will not be able to teleport you physically but will create simulated teleportation.

“Facebook wants to build a device that allows you to be anywhere you want, with anyone, regardless of geographical boundaries”

This doesn’t exactly come as a shock since Facebook acquired Oculus Rift for a staggering $2 billion, and the social media giant is attempting to find vertical niches outside of gaming, which would allow it to make use of its Oculus Rift acquisition. And so, teleportation or simulated teleportation seems like the right fit.

So how exactly will this work? According to Schroepfer, the concept is to trick your senses into believing that the virtual world is real. And this will come as a challenge.

Although making a different virtual world in a VR headset isn’t all that difficult now, but movement, real-time feedback and interaction with people and objects in virtual reality isn’t an easy task. However, Facebook thinks that with the Oculus Touch controllers that are slated to be released in the second quarter of next year will make it easier to overcome some of the issues.

The other major concern is creating content. You can’t have virtual teleportation without creating a world to go to. Facebook has spoken to film studios to turn this into a reality.  However, Oculus is taking a different approach to this and purchased Surreal Vision earlier this year through which users will be able to create their own environments.

It’s true that the challenges regarding teleportation are very real but it is also possible to overcome them and Facebook will be moving in the right direction to achieve that. For now, we are ecstatic about a breakthrough like that and can’t wait to travel the world in a VR headset!