Reality through the invisible interface

Developments in retinal projection and contact lens display promise an eventual seamless experience of augmented and virtual realities. But as with the inception of all immersive technologies, this raises the fearful spectre of an illusionism so credible as to realise the quintessential post-modern dilemma: total uncertainty between reality and fiction. This paper explores the emerging possibilities that future AR interfaces might offer and considers the resulting implications for actual reality. Tracing a brief history of the imposturous imagery and outlining anxieties that immersive content and technologies have raised, I contend that reality has always been uncertain. Furthermore I assert that human perceptions of reality develop and adapt alongside the technologies that mimic it.