Sci Fi Science: Physics of the Impossible (2009–…): Season 2, Episode 11 - Holodeck - full transcript

[ SCREAMING ]

I'M GONNA SHOW YOU HOW TO CREATE A WORLD

WHERE REALITY COLLIDES WITH
MIND-BENDING TECHNOLOGY.

AH, AH, AH!

IT'S THE ULTIMATE VIRTUAL REALITY.

Dr. Kaku: ONE ROOM WHERE YOU
CAN DO ANYTHING AND BE ANYONE.

WHOA. [ LAUGHS ]

AND I'VE GOT TO CONVINCE
THESE GUYS I CAN DO IT RIGHT.

COMPUTER, FEMALE STAR FLEET OFFICER.

HMM, NOT DOING THE RED HAIR.

I'M GONNA BUILD A HOLODECK
STRAIGHT OUT OF "STAR TREK."



I'M DR. MICHIO KAKU.

I'M A THEORETICAL PHYSICIST

AND A SCIENCE-FICTION [Echoing] FAN.

JOIN ME AS I SHOW YOU HOW
TO MAKE SCI-FI [Echoing] SCIENCE.

THE HOLODECK IS A ROOM
ON THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE

IN WHICH YOU CAN CONJURE UP
VIRTUALLY ANY IMAGINARY WORLD

WHICH IS NOW INDISTINGUISHABLE
FROM THE REAL THING.

I BELIEVE IT'S ONE OF SCI-FI'S
MOST IMAGINATIVE CREATIONS,

AND I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE.

I HAVE TO CONVINCE DIE-HARD TREKKERS

THAT MY DESIGN WILL WORK.

AND IT'S NOT GONNA BE EASY...
THEY REALLY KNOW THEIR STUFF.

WHAT IS A HOLODECK?

A HOLODECK IS A PROGRAM
THAT BASICALLY SIMULATES



ANY PLACE, ANY PERSON YOU
MIGHT WANT TO INTERACT WITH,

AND YOU DON'T ACTUALLY GO ANYWHERE.

AS LONG AS YOUR IMAGINATION CAN CREATE IT

AND THE COMPUTER HAS
INFORMATION ABOUT IT ON FILE,

YOU CAN GO THERE.

YOU COULD TAKE EARTH WITH YOU INTO SPACE.

THE HOLODECK IS A WORK OF FICTION,

BUT I BELIEVE THAT EVERY
SPACESHIP SHOULD HAVE ONE.

JUST IMAGINE DIALING UP CONEY ISLAND

TO ESCAPE THE DRUDGERY
OF A LONG-HAUL MISSION.

BUT WHAT WOULD IT TAKE

TO CREATE A VIRTUAL WORLD
THAT STIMULATES ALL THE SENSES?

MY HOLODECK MUST PERFORM
THREE BASIC FUNCTIONS.

FIRST, THE ABILITY TO
CREATE IMAGINARY WORLDS

THAT ARE THOROUGHLY REALISTIC.

TWO, THE ABILITY TO INTERACT
WITH, TOUCH, AND FEEL OBJECTS

IN THESE VIRTUAL WORLDS.

AND THREE, THE ABILITY TO CREATE WORLDS

THAT ARE LIMITLESS, WITHOUT BOUNDARIES.

MY FIRST CHALLENGE IS TO MAKE
MY HOLODECK LOOK CONVINCING,

SO I'M HEADING TO NEW JERSEY

TO VISIT ONE OF THE MOST ADVANCED

VIRTUAL-REALITY SYSTEMS
IN THE WORLD... THE CAVE.

SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE

THAT THE CAVE IS AS CLOSE
AS WE CAN COME TODAY

TO A REAL HOLODECK.

[ CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING ]

JUST LIKE THE HOLODECK,

THE CAVE IS A VIRTUAL WORLD
THAT YOU STEP RIGHT INTO.

LET ME SEE. WHOA.

OH, MY GOD. LOOK AT THAT. [ CHUCKLES ]

YOU WANT TO GRAB THIS THING, RIGHT?

SPECIAL GLASSES ALLOW
YOU TO SEE THE ACTION IN 3-D.

BUT THIS IS NO TRIP TO THE MOVIES.

I CAN HAND YOU THIS CONTROLLER,

AND YOU CAN FLY AROUND ANY WAY YOU'D LIKE.

WHOA. I'M REALLY THERE.

RIGHT?

THE CAVE IS INTELLIGENT.

IT RESPONDS TO YOUR EVERY COMMAND,

CREATING A SENSATION OF COMPLETE IMMERSION.

MY VIRTUAL TOUR GUIDE FOR
THE DAY IS GEORGE LECAKES.

THIS IS THE FUTURE OF VIRTUAL REALITY, HUH?

THIS IS THE WAY IT'S
LOOKING LIKE IT'S GOING TO GO.

TOTAL IMMERSION. LOOK AT THIS.

THE CAVE AT ROWAN HAS
FOUR PROJECTED SCREENS,

EACH CONTROLLED BY A SEPARATE COMPUTER.

UM, MIKE, WOULD YOU MIND DIALING
IN THE DINOSAUR DEMO, PLEASE?

DINOSAUR DEMO? [ CHUCKLES ] YES.

I HOPE I'M NOT GONNA BE BREAKFAST, NOW.

LIKE IN THE HOLODECK,

NO TWO CAVE ADVENTURES ARE EVER THE SAME.

THEY UNFOLD, DEPENDING
UPON THE DECISIONS YOU MAKE.

HERE COMES A T-REX, RIGHT AT US.

AND THAT FEELING OF
BEING RIGHT IN THE ACTION

IS DOWN TO PERSPECTIVE SHIFT.

WOW, LOOK AT THAT.

AS I MOVE MY HEAD,
EVERYTHING AROUND ME MOVES.

HOW'S THAT?

WELL, IT'S ACTUALLY THE CAMERAS
THAT ARE ALL AROUND YOU...

EIGHT OF THEM, EXACTLY.

AND THEY'RE PICKING UP ON THE
LITTLE TRACKER ON YOUR GLASSES.

IT'S EMITTING INFRARED LIGHT.

NOW, WE CAN'T SEE IT, BUT THE CAMERAS CAN.

SO AS YOU MOVE, IT'S TELLING THE CAVE

HOW TO MOVE IN RESPONSE TO YOU.

AH. SO THE CAVE KNOWS EXACTLY
WHERE MY HEAD IS POINTING.

PERFECTLY.

AND THAT'S WHY THE SCREENS
CHANGE SO MUCH AS YOU MOVE.

SO, HOW CLOSE CAN I GET TO THE T-REX?

AS CLOSE AS YOU'D LIKE.

YOU CAN GET IN HIS MOUTH, ACTUALLY.

DON'T DO THIS AT HOME, KIDS.

WE'RE CLOSE. I CAN SEE THE TEETH. AAH!

IT'S A SURREAL EXPERIENCE.

BUT I CAN'T HELP WONDERING

WHAT CAPTAIN PICARD AND COMMANDER RIKER

FROM "STAR TREK" WOULD MAKE OF IT.

WHOA. LOOK AT THAT.
OH, MY GOD. LOOK AT THAT.

AH, AH, AH!

NOW, THAT WAS REALLY COOL.

MUCH BETTER THAN THOSE CLUNKY HELMETS

THAT YOU PUT ON AT THOSE COMPUTER FAIRS

AND YOU WORK IN VIRTUAL REALITY.

I THINK THIS IS A GIANT LEAP FORWARD.

BUT TO BE FAIR,

I DON'T THINK PICARD OR RIKER
WOULD BE SATISFIED JUST YET.

IT STILL NEEDS SOME MORE IMPROVEMENTS,

AND I THINK I KNOW WHERE
THAT MAY COME FROM.

WALL PROJECTION MAY BE
FINE FOR THE 21st CENTURY,

BUT IT HAS NO PLACE IN MY HOLODECK DESIGN.

RESEARCHERS HAVE ALREADY PLACED L.E.D.s

DIRECTLY ONTO A CONTACT LENS.

I BELIEVE THAT IN THE COMING YEARS,

WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROJECT
AN ENTIRE VIRTUAL UNIVERSE

ONTO THE BACK OF OUR EYES.

PUT IN A HOLODECK LENS,

AND YOUR EYE IS INSTANTLY FILLED

WITH AN ALTERNATE REALITY

THAT'S PROJECTED DIRECTLY ONTO YOUR RETINA.

ALL YOU CAN SEE IS COMPUTER-GENERATED.

I'LL STRENGTHEN THE ILLUSION

BY SYNCHING AUDIO SPEAKERS
INTO THE WALLS OF THE ROOM.

IT'S A GOOD START.

BUT TO SATISFY THESE GUYS,

MY HOLODECK NEEDS TO BE
UP TO FEDERATION STANDARDS.

CAPTAIN PICARD LIKED TO RIDE HORSES A LOT.

CAPTAIN PICARD SEEMED TO
FIND A WAY TO RIDE A HORSE

EVERY TIME HE WALKED THROUGH THOSE DOORS.

SO HE COULD BE ON THE
PLANET VULCAN, RIDING A HORSE.

EXACTLY. IT WOULD HAVE POINTY EARS, THOUGH.

POINTIER EARS.

[ HORSE NEIGHS ]

IF I HAVE ANY CHANCE OF
CONVINCING THE SCI-FI FANS

THAT MY DESIGN IS WORTHY OF "STAR TREK,"

THEN OBJECTS IN MY HOLODECK

MUST NOT ONLY LOOK, BUT
FEEL LIKE THE REAL THING.

COMING UP, I GO NOWHERE
FAST ON A MILITARY SIMULATOR.

WHOA. [ LAUGHS ]

AND I SUIT UP FOR AN EXCLUSIVE
GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE.

YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT
YOU COULD GET IT DOWN

TO SOMETHING SMALLER
THAN THE HEAD OF A PIN?

TO MAKE A HOLODECK JUST
LIKE THE ONE IN "STAR TREK,"

I HAVE TO CREATE A VIRTUAL WORLD

THAT FEELS JUST FEELS
JUST AS REAL AS IT LOOKS.

CAPTAIN PICARD LIKED TO
RIDE HORSES ON THE HOLODECK.

REPLICATING THAT IS THE
ULTIMATE TEST OF MY DESIGN,

BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY SENSATIONS

THAT I HAVE TO REPRODUCE.

IF I CLOSE MY EYES, I STILL
KNOW THAT I'M RIDING A HORSE.

I CAN FEEL THE WIND ON MY FACE,

I CAN FEEL THE ROCKING
MOTION OF THE SADDLE,

AND I CAN FEEL THE
TEXTURE OF THE HORSE'S SKIN.

I BELIEVE THAT THE ONLY WAY TO
SIMULATE THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE

IS TO TAKE REAL MATTER

AND MOLD IT INTO THE
SHAPE OF A LIVING HORSE.

FOR THAT, I NEED TO LEAVE NEW YORK

TO MEET A MAN WHO'S DEVELOPING A TECHNOLOGY

THAT COULD REVOLUTIONIZE OUR LIVES.

THIS IS A VISION OF THE NEAR
FUTURE... PROGRAMMABLE MATTER.

INSTEAD OF ATOMS, THIS
CAR IS MADE UP OF CATOMS...

TINY ROBOTIC BALLS THAT WORK TOGETHER

TO TAKE ON ANY SHAPE OR COLOR.

CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY IN PITTSBURGH

IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF CATOM RESEARCH.

AND SCIENTISTS HERE
BELIEVE THAT IN THE FUTURE,

EVERYTHING WE OWN WILL BE
MADE FROM SHAPE-SHIFTING CATOMS.

ALL YOU DO IS DOWNLOAD
THE SOFTWARE ON THE WEB,

AND THERE'S YOUR FURNITURE, YOUR HOUSE,

YOUR APPLIANCES, YOUR CITY.

FOR PROGRAMMABLE MATTER TO WORK,

EACH MICROSCOPIC CATOM
NEEDS ITS OWN COMPUTER BRAIN.

TRANSISTORS SMALL ENOUGH TO DO THE JOB

MAY BE JUST A FEW YEARS AWAY.

AND SETH GOLDSTEIN IS ALREADY WORKING

ON HOW TO BUILD THE SHELLS TO HOUSE THEM.

Goldstein: THE ENTIRE THING THAT
YOU SEE THERE HAS 12 CATOMS.

IF WE LOOK AT ONE CATOM,
THERE'S TWO PARTS TO IT.

THERE'S THE SOLID, SILVER PART.
THAT'S WHERE A CHIP WOULD GO.

AND THEN THE LINES ARE WHERE
WE'RE GOING TO PLACE THE CHARGE

TO GET IT TO EITHER MOVE, STICK TOGETHER,

COMMUNICATE, OR SHARE POWER.

SO, ESSENTIALLY, THAT ONE
MECHANISM DOES ALL FOUR FUNCTIONS.

OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE THESE
SMALLER AND SMALLER AND SMALLER

UNTIL YOU GET ABOUT 120
OF THEM LINED UP TO AN INCH.

SETH'S SIMPLE TUBE DESIGN
WILL WORK IN TWO DIMENSIONS.

BUT AS THE TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES,
THEY'LL BE REPLACED BY SPHERES,

ALLOWING THE 3-D SIMULATION
OF ANY OBJECT YOU CAN IMAGINE.

YOU KNOW, COMING OUT OF THAT
CLEAN ROOM AND TALKING TO SETH,

I GET THE DISTINCT FEELING

THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING TO
MODERN-DAY SORCERERS.

AND YET HERE WE ARE DOING
IT, USING HIGH TECHNOLOGY.

ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

TO MAKE A CAR OR A HOLODECK HORSE,

MILLIONS OF CATOMS NEED TO
COORDINATE THEIR MOVEMENTS

TO PERFECTION... A PROGRAMMING NIGHTMARE.

SO SETH HAS DEVELOPED THESE COLORED BLOCKS

TO REFINE HOW CATOMS COMMUNICATE.

THEY EACH HAVE A COMPUTER BRAIN
AND THE ABILITY TO TAKE ORDERS.

THESE ARE COLORED IN THE
RAINBOW AS YOU GO UP HIGHER.

SO IF I SORT OF TURN
THIS OFF AND START OVER,

THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.

THEY ALL START OUT RED.

THEY THINK THEY'RE AT THE BOTTOM.

AND SLOWLY, BY TALKING TO THEIR NEIGHBORS,

THEY CAN FIGURE OUT HOW HIGH THEY ARE

AND WORK OUT WHERE
THEY ARE IN THE ENSEMBLE.

AND THIS ACTUALLY REQUIRES THEM

TO ALL BE COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER.

MM-HMM.

AND IT TAKES A LITTLE WHILE FOR
THE INFORMATION TO PERCOLATE.

SO IT'S COMPUTING RIGHT NOW.

IT IS, EXACTLY, COMPUTING RIGHT NOW.

AND I CAN DO SOMETHING LIKE I
CAN TAKE ONE OF THESE BLOCKS,

AND WE WANT THE BOTTOM ONES TO BE RED,

SO I CAN PUT THIS IN THE BOTTOM HERE.

AND NOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN

IS THE INFORMATION WILL
START TO PERCOLATE THROUGH

THAT WHAT THEIR LEVEL WAS
THAT THEY WERE ON BEFORE

IS NOT CORRECT,

AND THEY ALL HAVE TO
RECALCULATE WHAT'S GOING ON.

SETH'S IDEA IS A REVELATION.

IT MEANS THAT NO MATTER

HOW MANY CATOMS I HAVE IN MY HOLODECK...

10 OR 10 MILLION...

THEY'RE ALL CONTROLLED
BY THE SAME SIMPLE PROGRAM.

SO THAT COULD BE IT.

INSTEAD OF BILLIONS AND
BILLIONS AND TRILLIONS

OF LINES OF COMPUTER CODE,

ALL YOU DO IS TELL

HOW EACH BLOCK INTERACTS WITH ITS NEIGHBOR.

HOW SIMPLE.

USING CATOM TECHNOLOGY,

I'M ONE STEP CLOSER TO
CONVINCING THE "STAR TREK" FANS

THAT MY HOLODECK DESIGN WILL WORK.

THE FLOOR WILL BE COVERED
BY THESE INTELLIGENT ROBOTS,

ALLOWING THE SIMULATION
OF ANY PHYSICAL FORM,

INCLUDING A FULLY RIDEABLE HORSE.

I THINK MY HOLODECK DESIGN IS TAKING SHAPE.

BUT I STILL HAVE A PROBLEM.

YOU SEE, IF I WALK A FEW
STEPS IN ANY DIRECTION,

I GET A BLOODY NOSE.

SO I HAVE TO CREATE A HOLODECK ROOM

WHICH IS COMPACT, FINITE ON THE OUTSIDE...

BUT ON THE INSIDE, IS INFINITE.

[ ELEVATOR BELL DINGS ]

Dr. Kaku: HOLODECKS ARE A GREAT PLACE

TO HAVE FUN, RUN AROUND, AND
INDULGE YOUR WILDEST FANTASIES.

BUT I'VE COME UP AGAINST AN OBSTACLE...

WALLS.

ON REAL SPACESHIPS,
SPACE ITSELF IS AT A PREMIUM.

IT'S NO FUN HAVING A VIRTUAL PLAYGROUND

THE SIZE OF AN ELEVATOR.

BUT I MAY HAVE FOUND THE PERFECT SOLUTION

HERE AT THE U.S. ARMY'S PROVING
GROUND IN ABERDEEN, MARYLAND.

THE TECHNOLOGY THAT I'VE COME
TO SEE IS RIGHT BEHIND THESE DOORS.

I'VE HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT IT,
AND NOW I GET A CHANCE TO SEE IT.

THIS SHOULD BE A LOT OF FUN.

THIS IS CALLED THE
OMNI-DIRECTIONAL TREADMILL.

IT ALLOWS YOU TO CREATE A
LIMITLESS VIRTUAL UNIVERSE

WITHOUT BOUNDARIES.

IN CHARGE OF THIS REMARKABLE MACHINE

IS MILITARY PSYCHOLOGIST KATHY KEHRING.

KATHY, HI. HELLO.

THIS IS TRULY AMAZING.

CAN YOU TELL ME, WHAT IS
THIS TREADMILL USED FOR?

WHAT WE'VE TRIED TO DO HERE

IS CREATE A MORE REALISTIC VIRTUAL WORLD

SO THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY
PHYSICALLY EXERTING THEMSELVES

WHEN THEY MOVE THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENT

INSTEAD OF JUST SITTING AT A
DESK WITH A KEYBOARD OR A MOUSE.

THE SYSTEM RELIES ON MOTION TRACKING,

THE SAME TECHNOLOGY HOLLYWOOD USES

TO BRING ANIMATED CHARACTERS TO LIFE.

AS MAJOR MOYERS WALKS,

THE SYSTEM INSTRUCTS THE TREADMILL

TO MOVE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION,

THANKS TO AN INGENIOUS SYSTEM OF STRAPS.

THERE ARE TWO BASIC
MOTIONS OF THE TREADMILL.

FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE THE
LARGER MOTION OF THE TREADMILL.

BUT NOTICE THAT THERE ARE 80 SMALL STRAPS.

EACH ONE IS A MINI-TREADMILL.

AND WHEN YOU PUT THESE
TWO MOTIONS TOGETHER,

YOU CAN NOW SIMULATE ANY
MOTION IN TWO DIMENSIONS.

INGENIOUS.

OF COURSE, I COULDN'T LEAVE HERE

WITHOUT TRYING IT FOR MYSELF.

I'M NOT SURE WHETHER ALL THESE HARNESSES

ARE NECESSARY, THOUGH.

I MEAN, HOW HARD CAN IT BE?

I FEEL LIKE AN ASTRONAUT
ABOUT TO BE SHOT INTO SPACE.

IT'S FOR SAFETY PURPOSES.

UH-HUH.

WELL, HERE I GO.

[ MECHANICAL WHIRRING ]

WHOA. [ LAUGHS ]

WHOA.

YOU KNOW, ONE PROBLEM IS

I KEEP LOOKING AT MY FEET
AND THINKING ABOUT MY FEET.

NOW, THAT'S WHERE I GET ALL MESSED UP.

HOWEVER, ONCE YOU REALIZE

THAT YOU'RE IMMERSED IN
THIS IMAGINARY UNIVERSE,

THEN EVERYTHING GOES SMOOTHLY.

MY FIRST DOOR IN VIRTUAL REALITY.

YOU KNOW, FOR THE 21st
CENTURY, THIS IS GREAT.

BUT, HEY, LET'S BE HONEST.

"STAR TREK"... THAT TAKES
PLACE IN THE 23rd, 24th CENTURY.

PICARD AND RIKER, THEY
WOULD WANT MOUNTAINS,

CRATERS LIKE ON THE MOON, VALLEYS.

AND FOR THAT, I THINK WE HAVE TO INTRODUCE

SOME RADICALLY NEW IDEAS.

OKAY, WHERE'S THE "OFF" BUTTON?

AHH.

WHOA.

TO BRING MY HOLODECK UP
TO "STAR TREK" STANDARDS,

I NEED TO UPGRADE KATHY'S TREADMILL

FROM TWO TO THREE DIMENSIONS.

I BELIEVE THE SOLUTION

IS TO CREATE SEPARATE
DEVICES FOR EACH FOOT.

WHEREVER YOU PLACE YOUR FEET,
ROBOTIC PLATFORMS WILL FOLLOW.

AND BY ADJUSTING THEIR ANGLE AND HEIGHT,

I CAN EVEN SIMULATE CLIMBING.

THE PLATFORMS WILL ALSO BE COVERED

BY THOUSANDS OF PINLIKE ACTUATORS.

BY ADJUSTING THE HEIGHT OF THE PINS,

YOU CAN THEREBY CREATE
ANY TEXTURE YOU WANT...

WHETHER YOU'RE WALKING ON CRUNCHY SNOW

OR SPLASHING THROUGH WATER

OR EVEN CLIMBING OVER HARD GRANITE.

MY HOLODECK DESIGN IS ALMOST COMPLETE.

WITH ROBOTIC ARMS, I CAN
MAKE MY VIRTUAL WORLD INFINITE.

WITH CATOMS,

I CAN TAKE IMAGINARY OBJECTS
AND MAKE THEM PHYSICAL.

AND WITH L.E.D. CONTACT LENSES,
I CAN MAKE THEM SPRING TO LIFE.

BUT I STILL HAVE THIS NAGGING SUSPICION

THAT I'M MISSING SOMETHING.

TO FIND OUT MORE, GO TO...

I'VE GOT THE LOOK OF
THE HOLODECK JUST RIGHT.

I EVEN HAVE THE FEEL RIGHT.

AND HEY, MY HOLODECK
IS EVEN INFINITE IN SIZE.

BUT IT'S STILL MISSING
ONE IMPORTANT INGREDIENT.

AND THAT IS [SNIFFS] THE SENSE OF SMELL.

WE'RE SENSITIVE TO AROUND
10,000 DIFFERENT AROMAS.

SO SIMULATING SMELL IS QUITE A CHALLENGE.

BUT I THINK IT'S WORTH IT...

HI. CAN I SAMPLE SOME OF
THE TURKISH COFFEE? SURE.

...BECAUSE IT'S SO CLOSELY
LINKED TO OUR EMOTIONS,

OUR SENSE OF PLACE, AND OUR MEMORIES.

YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS A CHILD,

MY MOTHER USED TO MAKE
THE MOST DELICIOUS MEAT PIE,

AND I CAN STILL SMELL THE
AROMA AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.

IF I'M GONNA BUILD A REALISTIC HOLODECK,

I'VE SIMPLY GOT TO
INCORPORATE THE SENSE OF SMELL.

YOUR RECEIPT. THANK YOU. HAVE A GOOD DAY.

THANK YOU.

IT'S EASY TO SIMULATE ANY COLOR

BY BLENDING THE PRIMARIES
...RED, GREEN, AND BLUE...

IN THE RIGHT PROPORTION.

BUT SIMULATING AN AROMA
IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT,

BECAUSE THERE'S NO PRIMARY SMELL TO MIX.

EACH SMELL MOLECULE IS UNIQUE,

AND THERE'S AN AWFUL LOT OF THEM.

MY HOLODECK HAS TO HAVE A PALATE OF SMELLS,

A LIBRARY OF THOUSANDS
OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF SMELLS

TO EVOKE A CERTAIN ATMOSPHERE.

LET'S SAY ONE DAY

YOU WANT TO RE-CREATE A
SCENE FROM THE WILD WEST.

MY HOLODECK HAS TO HAVE ON CALL

THE SMELLS OF LEATHER, HAY,

HORSES, FARM ANIMALS, AND GUNPOWDER

TO MAKE IT AS REALISTIC AS POSSIBLE.

MY HOLODECK DESIGN IS COMPLETE.

IT'S TIME TO REVEAL IT TO THE SCI-FI FANS.

I JUST HOPE IT'S GOOD ENOUGH

TO FULFILL THEIR WILDEST FANTASIES.

Man: I WOULD USE THE HOLODECK

TO GO SEE AWESOME
CONCERTS THAT I NEVER WENT TO.

I WOULD LOVE TO GO BE
WITH THE FOUNDING FATHERS

WHEN THEY FOUNDED THE COUNTRY.

THE COMEBACK OF ELVIS. I'D GO SEE THAT.

THE BEATLES AT SHEA. I'D LOVE TO SEE THAT.

I'D GO SEE THE BAND DO
THE LAST WALTZ IN PERSON.

THAT WOULD BE AMAZING.

I COULD ACTUALLY BE IN "STAR TREK."

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

TODAY I'M GONNA TEACH YOU
HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN HOLODECK.

NOW, HOW MANY OF YOU
WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A TRIP

TO A DESERTED TROPICAL
ISLAND FOR A VACATION?

RAISE YOUR HAND.

YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!

AND HOW MANY OF YOU
INSTEAD WOULD RATHER CREATE

A WORLD OF MISCHIEF, MAYHEM, AND CHAOS

TO CARRY OUT ALL YOUR DEGENERATE FANTASIES?

RAISE YOUR HAND.

YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!

WELL, I'M GONNA SHOW YOU HOW TO DO IT.

LET'S PUT YOU IN A HOLODECK.

NEARLY EVERY SURFACE WILL
BE COVERED BY LOUDSPEAKERS,

FOR A TRULY REALISTIC AUDIO EXPERIENCE.

PRETTY UGLY, BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER.

BECAUSE LOOK.

WE CREATE VIRTUAL REALITY
IN YOUR CONTACT LENS.

EACH LENS PROJECTS AN IMAGE

DIRECTLY ONTO THE RETINA OF YOUR EYE

SO THAT EVERYTHING YOU WILL
SEE IS COMPUTER-GENERATED.

EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK, A NEW REALITY.

TO MAKE THESE WORLDS AS BIG AS YOU LIKE,

ROBOTIC PLATFORMS ALLOW
YOU TO WALK FOR MILES,

INCLUDING UP AND DOWN SLOPES.

VARIABLE PIN TECHNOLOGY UNDER EACH FOOT

MAKES THE EXPERIENCE EVEN MORE REALISTIC.

SO THAT THIS IS INDISTINGUISHABLE

FROM RUNNING OVER ROCKS,
RUNNING OVER VEGETATION,

RUNNING OVER THE SNOW.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE ALL KNOW

THAT CAPTAIN PICARD RIDES A HORSE.

HOW ARE WE GONNA DUPLICATE THAT?

WITH SOMETHING CALLED CATOM TECHNOLOGY.

MILLIONS OF TINY ROBOTS LINE
THE FLOOR OF THE HOLODECK

AND SPRING UP TO ORDER.

THEY CAN MORPH INTO ANY CONCEIVABLE SHAPE,

INCLUDING A TRUSTY STEED.

THIS IS CALLED PROGRAMMABLE MATTER,

AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE MAY HAVE,

PERHAPS, IN THE COMING DECADES.

AND THEN, LAST, THE SENSE OF SMELL.

MY HOLODECK HOLDS 10,000 CANISTERS...

ONE FOR EVERY POSSIBLE ODOR,

ENSURING EACH VIRTUAL WORLD
SMELLS AS GOOD AS IT LOOKS.

SO, HOW MANY OF YOU NOW WANT
TO TAKE A TRIP IN VIRTUAL REALITY?

RAISE YOUR HANDS.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

I THINK THAT'S AS CLOSE
AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY GET

TO HAVING A HOLODECK,

USING THE WAY WE UNDERSTAND
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TODAY.

THE WHOLE WALKING CONTRAPTION
WITH THE SURFACE TECHNOLOGY...

THAT WAS JUST ONE OF THE
BEST REVEALS I'VE SEEN...

I MEAN, JUST MIND-BLOWING.

I LOVED IT ENTIRELY.

THE HOLODECK IS JUST AWESOME.

I'M JUST GONNA TRY TO FIGURE
OUT HOW TO DO BACKFLIPS IN IT,

BUT...

I THINK "STAR TREK" FANS IN GENERAL

WOULD THINK THIS WAS THE CLOSEST THING

THAT THEY'D EVER SEE IN
THEIR LIFETIME TO A HOLODECK.

AND I THINK MAYBE IN OUR
LIFETIME, IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE.