Science log: Holodecks on the horizon

I was reading one a technology in education blog called "2 cents worth" at http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/ when I saw the word "holodeck" pop up. The person was taking a tour in our Research Triangle Park of "DIVE, the Duke Immersive Virtual Environment, which is one of a half dozen in the world.

"The DIVE is a six-walled room, four sides, top, and floor, each with its own projectors displaying synchronized images, so that you have a sense of being surrounded by what ever. With the stereoscopic glasses, which rapidly switch on and off each eye, letting in a slightly different version to each eye, fooling the brain into a sense of depth, you lose the corners of the room, and start to feel — well — THERE.

In fact, our first experience was an avatar woman walking down the hill across the room, then on to a bridge, from which she jumped. Our guide, Dr. Rachael Brady, then directed me to walk out onto the bridge, look over the side and jump. I did so, without the slightest fear of heights that I anticipated, and everyone else automatically went with me — since I was wearing the special glasses."

There are cool pictures and further details at the blog. The comments were also interesting. One person asked why the blogger didn’t mention "holodeck" in his blog description. He said that the guide "said they do not use that analogy any more, because most freshmen know nothing about it." Are we that old?