Visual communications of tomorrow: Natural, efficient, and flexible

In the last decade, we have witnessed a phenomenal growth of communication and information technologies. These technologies have greatly simplified and even enriched our dairy lives; cellular telephony and the Internet are probably the most striking examples. A particularly promising, and at the same time challenging, aspect of both technologies is the transmission and use of visual information. In this article I overview the state of visual communication at the end of the 20th century, discuss today's challenges, and outline some future directions.