In the past, the famous American series
“
The Simpsons
”
had predicted the election of Donald Trump, the success of connected watches or even the inauguration of Kamala Harris.
Did it also prophetically announce the era of virtual reality, and its excesses?
During the second episode of season 28 broadcast in 2016, the residents of the fictional town of Springfield walk the streets, all equipped with a virtual reality device.
In particular, we see the character of Mr. Burns collide with a lamppost and an elderly woman falling into a manhole.
Videos of users of the new Apple Vision Pro - the Apple brand's virtual reality headset - which have been circulating for several days on social networks are disturbingly reminiscent of these scenes from "The Simpsons".
Today's situations are surprising, but also - and unfortunately - dangerous.
Also read: With its Vision Pro headset, Apple lays an imperfect foundation stone towards the “age of spatial computing”
Abuses in public places
Here, an American films himself adorned with the Apple Vision Pro while driving his Tesla on autopilot on a fast lane.
The man, with a helmet screwed onto his head, seems to be tapping on an invisible keyboard.
In another similar scene, still aboard a Tesla, the driver ends up being stopped by suspicious police officers.
There, in an American subway, a young man is also active as if he were in front of his computer screen.
The travelers around him, however, hardly seem surprised.
Or even this scene seen on
Human friends, but not only.
In a street, a man shows off with the new Apple model.
With a controller in hand, he remotely guides a robot dog which walks alongside him, as if he were walking man's best friend, here in its 2.0 version.
As Apple specifies in its user guide, the device is however reserved for use in a
“controlled environment”.
“Always be aware of your surroundings and position during use,”
the guide explains
.
While use in a vehicle is obviously prohibited, the American company even makes recommendations for domestic use.
“Do not use it on stairs, on a balcony, on rails, near glass, near mirrors, near objects that could cause injury, near heat sources or near windows
.”
We shouldn't end up like in the "Simpsons", with our heads on a pole or our feet at the bottom of a manhole.
Or more fundamentally isolated from each other, lost in a virtual reality universe.