One of the newest technology buzz words this year will be spatial computing. This is a new technology using goggles that merge the real and virtual worlds together, and is the next evolution of virtual reality.

Virtual reality today immerses a viewer in a fully virtual world and the user has no vision of what is happening around them in the real world. Somebody playing a virtual game has to be careful to not knock into the furniture in the room.

Augmented reality show virtual pictures overlayed on the real world. A good example is the yellow first-down markers that are overlayed onto the field during televised football games. There is no interface between the augmented overlays and the real world other than the visualization.

Spatial computing is going to start fulfilling the original promise of virtual reality. Spatial computing goggles will let a user interface with the real world. One of the first touted benefits of virtual reality was the ability to hold a virtual meeting and feel like you are in the room with the other attendees. That will now become a possibility with spatial computing.

With spatial computing, a user can still see the real world around them but can also see virtual overlays. The user can interact with the virtual objects without the need for a smartphone or keyboard by waving their hands, moving their eyes, or with voice commands.

We all know what spatial computing might look like. I’ve seen dozens of futuristic shows where a user pops up a virtual screen of documents or videos and then quickly chooses between documents with a wave of a hand.

The first serious spatial computing device is Apple’s Vision Pro that will be released in February. The device accomplishes spatial computing with an impressive array of twelve cameras and five sensors that will detect and read the real world around a user while also showing an overlayed virtual world. This much technology embedded in a small device won’t be cheap, with the launch price announced at $3,499.

As might be imagined, a spatial computing device will need a lot of bandwidth. I’ve seen estimates that a Vision Pro will need at least a steady, symmetrical 100 Mbps connection to be effective. It’s not hard to imagine multiple family members wanting to play games using the technology at the same time. It’s also likely going to need low latency to avoid pixelization – or whatever that is called in a virtual world.

It’s not hard to envision uses for the Vision Pro or its successors. A how-to manual could show a user how to fix a motorcycle or bake a cake by overlaying directions and arrows over the real-world event. For entertainment purposes, spatial computing can create an IMAX screen in your living room. It’s not hard to imagine taking gaming to the next level with games that are overlayed in your own home. Office workers will be able to pull up the virtual screen of documents and files and manipulate them with a wave of a hand.

Of course, the proof is still to be seen, and first-generation devices will likely have flaws. For example, virtual reality goggles currently give many users headaches after a short use. One obvious flaw for the Vision Pro is a 2-hour battery life which will limit some uses. It’s hard to say how the device might be accepted in the office.

But if the Vision Pro is received well by users, we can expect improved and more affordable headsets over time. And future devices will likely need even more bandwidth.