By Kyra-lin Hom

The first most of us ever heard of virtual reality (VR) was Star Trek's 'holodeck' technology. The holodeck was a seemingly magic room where any reality could come to life via a fully immersive, all-five-senses-stimulating simulation. Somehow, Star Trek officers could relax in the 1700's, train against alien warriors, and skydive from 20th century airplanes with only the assistance of light-based holograms. In Star Trek: Voyager (a staple of my childhood), holograms could even gain their own autonomy, which raised some truly interesting questions about personhood.

Now, 27 years after the holodeck's first appearance on public television, technology is beginning to actualize this fanciful pillar of science fiction. In fact, VR is set to be a major technological focus of 2015. Already a few companies are staking their claim on the visual tech with more rapidly joining the race. The one you are likely most familiar with is the Oculus Rift available for sampling at Seattle's very own EMP. It's essentially a very fancy pair of boxy goggles. Being in town for the holidays, I just had to 'see' it for myself.

The Oculus Rift is part of the EMP's special Game of Thrones exhibit. For those of you who know the show: in the simulation you're a member of the Night's Watch defending the Wall from invading wildlings. For those of you who don't know it: in the simulation you take a wooden lift up an absolutely massive ice wall and [SPOILER ALERT] get shot at with flaming arrows. The line is long and the simulation is short, but it's definitely worth it if you get as excited about VR as I do.

The second I put on my Rift headgear, my eyes were in the North. I could hear the techie giving me last minute instructions, but it was a bodiless voice in a sea of snow. Everywhere I looked – up, down and all around – was a different world. Adding headphones and recorded sounds on top of that was another whole level of strange. As soon as the 'ride' booted up, cold air was blowing on my face and the floor beneath me began to shake and rattle like a real rickety wooden lift as I rose up the cliff face, providing that extra bit marketers like to call '4D.'

I knew that the lift I could see was larger than the actual physical cage I was inside, yet even so I managed to walk into the door trying to look over the edge. And when I reached the top and the simulation moved me forward so I could look all the way down...well, I'm not afraid of heights but my stomach still flipped. In short, it was exceedingly cool. Now of course it wasn't perfect. I wish it had been longer for one thing and that certain potentially traumatic moments had been more realistic for another. Nevertheless, I recommend it.

I cannot wait to see how virtual reality evolves over the next year. Already haptic feedback (i.e. sound) is being used to generate physical sensations of things that aren't there, inner ear stimulation is being tested for how it affects balance, and certain designers are working on enabling you to see your own body in the simulation (such as seeing your hands in front of you). Those magic-like holodecks might not be so far away after all.