While writing my entry on the future of eCommerce and thinking about how it could be implemented, one idea that came to mind was to use an omnidirectional treadmill so the user could literally walk around the virtual store. The result would be an online shopping trip that would provide exercise instead of the user just sitting in their chair exhibiting limited muscle movement. This and the new HoloLens got me thinking about how virtual reality could be integrated with everyday computing tasks in a way that would help make people more fit.
Fitness games are already common but they are only useful when a user is purposefully playing or exercising. What I am thinking of is situations where the current implementations do not involve much physical activity when done on a computer but could be modified so the user would not only get a fitness component added but also a new level of interaction.
Google Streets View
With Google Streets View people can already wander around a virtual representation of a city almost as if it is a 3D game. I think Google should work to make the current version exactly like a 3D game and allow the user to "walk" around freely with the same controls as a game. As games are one of the main uses of virtual reality technology, its use with streets view would then be a natural evolution.
Files
This could be a full workout as the user could walk around their hard/cloud drive if not run around when they need to find something. When the file or folder is located and they want to move it, they would physically bring it to another location. In addition, if something could simulate varying weights, the size of the file could be used as a weight and provide extra benefit to the user. For example, if the logarithm of the size is used then a 100 MB file would be equivalent to 2 kg while 10 GB would be equivalent to 4 kg.
News/Social Networking
Rather then scrolling through a list of posts imagine walking through an endless hallway/walkway of stories, shared items, tweets, photos, etc. lining the walkway like signs. The user could either stop to read one, pick it up to read a floating version or even start walking through the text itself. This leads to the last idea...
Text and Books
One of the most time consuming things people do is simply reading and since the documents are linear by nature, a user reading a document as they walk it is a natural fit. One way this could work is if the document was displayed as if it were painted along a wall the user are passing. Another option would be to put the text on the walkway, although if the user does not want to walk backward they would have to get comfortable reading bottom to top.
