as much as I consider myself a dinosaur sometimes, there are some examples of technology that are just really, really cool.

have you heard of something called Magic Leap?  well if not, then you should brush up on it.

Magic Leap is a technology that works in the realm of virtual and augmented reality.  but it’s different.  it is what CEO Rony Abovitz has coined as cinematic reality.

What [Magic Leap CEO] Rony [Abovitz] and the Magic Leap team have created is nothing short of remarkable and will forever change the way we interact with images and information. – Richard Taylor

just imagine what this could do for travel photography!  instead of relying on looking at static, 2D images of other’s encounters of far off places you could see it come alive before your eyes.  imagine also how it could aid in the education of individuals about these far off places they only ever read about.

© Magic Leap

of course though, I need to play a little bit of devil’s advocate here.  as amazing as this technology is, if it does make its way into the travel industry, which I don’t see how it wouldn’t, what kind of economic effect will that have?  will people start building the mindset that they don’t need to travel anymore because they can have these exotic experiences from the comfort of their home or at their fingertips all while not having to incur the price tag of a vacation?  if that’s the case, what will happen to the economies of these destinations that rely heavily on tourism to keep their entire country afloat?

while I do believe that this technology, once it arrives, might have an impact on the travel industry I still think that people are going to favor the experiences of visiting destinations over a virtual visit.  I might be a little bias on that idea, but I still believe it holds some merit.  after all, people didn’t stop traveling when the photograph was invented, even though they could see these destinations without having to get on an airplane.

if you want to keep up with Magic Leap and see where they are in the process of making this technology a reality, feel free to give them a follow on twitter: @MagicLeap.

side note: if you are really interested in this type of technology, have a look at this other company Dacuda.  they are in the process of building 3D camera app for your phone!