Remote realities (Surrogates, Gamer) often share the science fiction movie spotlight with other advanced technologies such as virtual reality (The Matrix, The Thirteen Floor) and Artificial Intelligence (A.I., Stealth). The path from one to the other and the predictability of how these technologies will emerge is clear, but the timeline is not. I point this out because I think fully functioning remote realities will develop long before convincing virtual realities in the near future.
Remote reality will start small with a television experience that the viewer controls. The viewer will be able to switch from one live camera to another during a sporting game or reality show. A device measuring the movements of the viewers head and eyes links to the perspective and focus of a shot being filmed in a wider angle and higher resolution (to eliminate the need for every viewer to have an individual camera at
the live event).
Remote reality will bring about a form of teleportation. By shifting an individual's perspective from one location to another, it is almost as if that individual has changed locations. Want to take a walk in Paris on your lunch break? Dock into a port that completely engulfs your senses. The human-like forms of the Surrogates are unnecessary since many motions and senses can be simulated between the origin and destination.
Eventually, but later on, technologies involving sensory manipulation will lead to brain feeds and virtual realities. A.I. will be a side project and new religious debate the world over.
