Mei Yiqiu saw Qingmu come in, she greeted him, "Oh, Qingmu, you're here!"
The woman turned around, gave a slight bow, and smiled at Qingmu. She looked to be about the same age as Mei Ziqing, with arched eyebrows, phoenix eyes, and an elegant appearance. Even standing there doing nothing, she exuded an extraordinary air.
When Qingmu met her gaze, he felt increasingly familiar with her, especially her eyes. He searched his memory for women he had seen before, and Xia Xiaoxiao was the first one that came to mind.
This woman and Xia Xiaoxiao share some similarities in temperament, yet there are also obvious differences. Xia Xiaoxiao's temperament stems from her noble family background and the confidence derived from her academic achievements, while this woman is clearly more refined and elegant.
Qingmu then thought of Duwa, the ageless woman who had been immersed in the Buddhist world for decades, but who had gained a certain otherworldly air and an untimely old age.
"Come, let me introduce you." The professor had a pipe in his mouth, but it wasn't lit, whether because the lady was present or because smoking wasn't allowed in the laboratory, it was unclear.
"This is Qingmu, I've mentioned him to you before." He took Qingmu's hand and introduced him to the woman, then introduced the woman to Qingmu, "This is Professor Su from Columbia University."
The woman smiled and extended her hand, "Hello, Su Huilan, nice to meet you."
"Hello." Qingmu grasped her hand, and for a fleeting moment, a familiar feeling washed over him, but it quickly vanished as the woman withdrew her hand.
Mei Yiqiu said, " Professor Su will be our first mentor in our dreams."
"Dream mentor?" Qingmu felt like he'd heard that term somewhere before.
"He's a training instructor for the ' Dream Guide ' game, and has nothing to do with the Dream Society," Mei Yiqiu explained. "Originally, you would have been the most suitable person to do this, but considering your special status and the fact that you have more important things to do, I invited Professor Su instead."
Qingmu congratulated, "It looks like the professor's game development was a success!"
The professor pointed to Bian Ziyuan beside him and laughed, "Thanks to Wuzhong University's Xiao Tian, his understanding of mechanical intelligence and computers is very unique. The intelligent program he developed has helped me a lot."
Qingmu couldn't help but feel a Bian Ziyuan, knowing that great scientists always begin as geniuses.
Bian Ziyuan smiled somewhat shyly, but didn't say anything self-deprecating.
Qingmu asked, "So, the professor called me here today to celebrate a victory?"
The professor shook his head and said, "It's too early to celebrate. I mainly wanted to introduce you to Professor Su today, as you'll likely be collaborating a lot in the future. Professor Su is also a member of our Third Space Foundation, an expert in the fields of human spirit and subconsciousness, and has made significant achievements in life sciences and religious philosophy."
Qingmu didn't believe he and Su Huilan could have any academic collaboration opportunities and didn't take Mei Yiqiu's words seriously. He was a person who disliked socializing, so he didn't show much enthusiasm for the beautiful professor.
On the contrary, Su Huilan seemed very interested in him and kept observing him.
"Mr. Qingmu, would you be interested in trying out our newly developed Space Box?" she asked.
Qingmu had mentioned the concept of the Space Box to Professor Mei, and he couldn't help but wonder, "Can it really directly stimulate and receive brain information without needing sensors to capture and release neural electrical signals?"
Su Huilan looked at him with some surprise. " Ziqing knows something about this box."
Mei Yiqiu said, "Don't forget, there are three names in the game's ' Genesis,' and he's one of them."
Su Huilan suddenly laughed and said, "Oh, how could I have forgotten that!"
Qingmu had no idea what the professor had written in * Genesis *, but this piqued his curiosity. He wanted to see what kind of world this game called * Dream Guide * was, and how that Space Box connected to his consciousness.
Mei Yiqiu pointed to two rectangular boxes, each large enough to fit a person, placed at a 45-degree angle, and said, "You can try lying down inside."
"Lie down inside?" The more Qingmu looked at the shape of the box, the more it seemed to resemble a coffin.
" The Space Box stimulates the brain's central nervous system through quantum droplets under high-frequency laser pulses, directly simulating sensory information and guiding consciousness to create a virtual environment."
"Is this the VR technology of the future that you often talk about?"
"That's right. Current VR still relies on visual and auditory perception. To put it bluntly, it just plays 3D scenes for people and then uses sensors to capture the human body's neural feedback. But humans have more than just sight and hearing; they also have taste, smell, touch, and various other senses. With current technology, it's not that it's impossible to let people eat or mate in a VR environment, but it's too complicated. The human body has nerve cells all over its body. Unless you cover your entire body with sensors, including your tongue, it's impossible to provide a comprehensive sensory experience that is close to reality. So, current VR is at most virtual audiovisual, and cannot be called virtual reality."
As soon Mei Yiqiu finished speaking, Su Huilan added:
"A scientific team in the United States once attempted to develop a neural garment, somewhat like Spider-Man's suit, that could cover your entire body. The garment is made of a special material; once worn, it's like a thin film covering your body, capable of capturing and transmitting neural electrical signals. Wearing this garment, you're given a virtual environment where you can perceive everything, including touch. Furthermore, the garment can release thousands of different air molecules into your nasal cavity and lungs to simulate real smell. However, as Professor Mei pointed out, you can't wrap a film around your tongue, and the garment can only cover the surface of the body, not the internal organs, so it's still far from truly realistic human perception."
"Some scientists are also trying to use neurofluids to achieve virtual reality. Have you seen the Matrix? Completely immersing a person in a special liquid, letting the liquid act as a sensor, is indeed simpler and more effective than clothing. But so far, no liquid has been found that can be immersed in for a long time without harming human cells, and humans probably wouldn't want to turn themselves into a corpse preserved in formalin just to play a game."
Qingmu felt a chill run down his spine.
It's hard to imagine people in the future immersing themselves in liquid to play games, or dressing like Spider-Man with hundreds of thin tubes attached to their bodies to participate in e-sports competitions.
"This thing of ours that looks like a coffin... doesn't seem to be in much better shape, does it?" Qingmu said.
"Don't worry, this is just the first generation product." Mei Yiqiu took a deep drag on his unlit pipe, as if the air would become sweeter after passing through it.
"Currently, the cost of a single box exceeds twenty million US dollars, and that's just the pure manufacturing cost, not considering the amortization of research and development costs. Otherwise, its cost would be astronomical. Such a product wouldn't be put on the market; no one could afford it."
Qingmu was speechless.
Mei Yiqiu continued, "Our second-generation product design is complete, and it's roughly similar to the VR headsets commonly seen today. I believe it will be available soon. As for the third-generation product, it's still in the conceptual stage; it might be a hat or a pair of glasses. However, I think that one day, our products will become smaller, like a chip."
"Chip?"
"That's right, a chip. Just like the one you found for me."