Technology firms turn to science fiction for inspiration

New York

TECH companies have spent years developing better, cheaper devices to immerse people in digital worlds. Yet they are still figuring out how to make virtual reality the kind of technology that people cannot live without. So for inspiration, they are turning to science fiction.

At Oculus, a leading virtual reality company, a copy of the popular sci-fi novel Ready Player One is handed out to new hires. Magic Leap, a secretive augmented reality startup, has hired science fiction and fantasy writers. The name of Microsoft's HoloLens headset is a salute to the holodeck, a simulation room from Star Trek.