Buzz
Virtual reality (VR) emerged in the 1980s, a period when the technology was still in its early stages. The first VR games left much to be desired, and only a handful of industries recognized the potential of this developing technology. But now, with the unparalleled power of modern computing and gaming systems, VR is set for an extraordinary resurgence across a wide range of sectors and organizations.
10. Virtual Crime Scene Investigation
In-person crime scene visits by juries are becoming increasingly rare, with high-definition photos and videos taking their place. However, a British research group is advocating for VR headsets to become a standard tool in courtrooms.
The UK has long supported this innovative application of technology, with a study conducted over ten years ago at William and Mary College showing its viability. Currently, a team from Staffordshire University is carrying out an extensive study, utilizing several VR platforms, including gaming-oriented systems. Crime scenes are being captured with laser scanning or documented in 3D video via drones.
The Ministry of Justice is optimistic that this relatively low-cost technology can reduce expenses by making complicated data more accessible, leading to fewer hearings.
9. Manufacturing
A fascinating VR method known as CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) involves a cube-shaped space where every wall functions as a 3D projector. With special glasses, users can inspect 3D objects from every perspective, much like the virtual world seen in the Star Trek holodeck.
Ford has adopted this technique, using a physical car model overlaid with a virtual version, which their engineers interact with. This drastically reduces the need to build multiple physical prototypes during the design phase, cutting down significantly on product development costs.
Without VR-assisted design, Ford claims that several potential design flaws would have been overlooked in their newest vehicle models.
8. Marketing
As advertisements become more pervasive and annoying across the web, most consumer-facing applications in marketing aim to eliminate them. Yet, many in the marketing field believe that VR could be the first major breakthrough to make advertisements, well, engaging.
Google has taken the lead with their Cardboard device—a set of stereo lenses housed in a foldable cardboard viewer that users assemble themselves (resembling a DIY View-Master). The Cardboard works with smartphones and offers an affordable and accessible way to experience VR content.
Automakers such as BMW and Volvo have created virtual test drives and races, while fashion brands like Hugo Boss and Dior have launched VR campaigns that place viewers right beside the runway at fashion events. But this is only scratching the surface of VR's potential in marketing.
7. Architecture
A video game engine functions like the framework of a building, providing the necessary software structure on which developers can layer their unique game designs. It typically includes the rules governing physics, mechanics, and movement.
The Unreal Engine, introduced in 1998 by Epic Games for the first-person shooter Unreal, is one of the most enduring game engines, renowned for its robust physics and highly customizable technology. Its latest iteration is VR-compatible, making it particularly appealing to architects. Some consider it a groundbreaking approach to structural design.
In the demo video, VRtisan, a technology company, showcases an engineer using an HTC Vive headset and Unreal Engine 4.12 software to quickly and easily modify design elements in virtual space. Meanwhile, applications like Google’s Tilt Brush offer the public an opportunity to create and design within 3D space.
6. Revitalizing Old Roller Coasters
In late 2015, a number of Canadian theme parks began experimenting with VR-enhanced roller coaster rides. Using smartphone-compatible headsets, they displayed scenes synchronized to the coasters' twists and turns. By March 2016, Six Flags, a US theme park chain, was fully embracing the VR trend.
On older coasters like Dare Devil Dive at Six Flags Over Georgia, riders can engage in virtual target practice during the slow climb up the hill (by tapping buttons on the side of the headset), followed by a thrilling alien invasion experience. As they swoop and dive through a virtual city, the VR visuals match the coaster's physical movements.
Other retrofitted experiences allow riders to join in a battle against alien invaders in an Independence Day-inspired scene or team up with Superman to fend off a Lex Luthor attack on Metropolis.
5. Sports Coaching
In 2007, Stanford kicker Derek Belch was inspired by a class called Communications 166: Virtual People, which was taught by Professor Jeremy Bailenson. At the time, Belch's vision for a virtual football trainer was beyond the technological capabilities. 'I said, 'Come back when [the technology] gets better,'' said Bailenson. 'And he did.'
Today, Belch and Bailenson are both officers at STRIVR Labs, a tech company that transformed Belch’s idea into a fully developed system. The technology is now used by several college football teams and professional squads like the Dallas Cowboys. It uses 3-D video captured during practices, allowing users to experience those practices from their own position's perspective, step by step.
Competing startups have developed similar programs that use graphics generated like a video game, offering a level of interactivity that STRIVR Labs' system has not yet achieved.
4. Surgery Simulators
Residents at the Montreal Neurological Institute are on track to become some of the world’s top brain surgeons. By using NeuroTouch Cranio, a VR simulator for brain surgery, less experienced surgeons can practice difficult procedures and learn from their errors without real-life consequences.
Due to Canada’s higher-than-average surgical error rate, the simulator has exceeded expectations in its initial years of use. In addition to being an essential training tool, NeuroTouch Cranio is capable of assessing a user’s performance, offering feedback for improvement, and even determining if someone has the skills needed to be a neurosurgeon.
The system also incorporates a 'Kobayashi Maru' simulation—named after the infamous no-win exercise in Star Trek—designed to evaluate how a trainee handles stress in a situation where the patient’s outcome is inevitable and fatal.
3. Police Training
Although police and military training simulations are well-established, the VirTra 300 system has gained popularity among numerous police departments across the US. Instead of simply improving shooting accuracy, the system’s primary goal is to train officers to prevent the need for deadly force altogether.
This highly versatile system places officers in immersive virtual scenarios with multiple possible outcomes, depending on how the user responds. With dozens of branching paths, trainers can manipulate each situation in real-time. The focus is on teaching officers de-escalation techniques, using force only as a last resort.
Such systems allow rookie officers to experience simulations of real-life situations where another officer might have faltered. They also provide a chance to face dangerous scenarios without the risks of actual danger. Since these systems have only recently been introduced, it remains to be seen whether VR training results in better preparedness and fewer unnecessary uses of deadly force in real-world situations.
2. Helping The Paralyzed
In an extraordinary study by Duke University, neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis and his team utilized a powered exoskeleton along with a VR headset to offer quadriplegics the sensation of walking again.
The experiment immersed participants in a virtual world that they could explore using hand controls, with their movements translated into physical action by the exoskeleton. All eight participants experienced significant improvements in sensory perception and muscle control below their injury sites.
The realistic sensory and physical feedback appears to stimulate dormant spinal nerves, sparking activity that had been inactive since the injury occurred. While the team is unsure of the exact mechanism, the results were consistently remarkable. After a year of therapy, half of the participants saw such improvements that their paralysis diagnoses were revised from 'complete' to 'partial'.
1. Treatment Of Phobias
A widely used and effective approach to overcoming debilitating phobias is exposure therapy, which gradually introduces the patient to the source of their fear until they can manage it. While the process can cause stress and anxiety, there are ethical concerns surrounding this form of treatment. There are also practical difficulties when phobias involve situations like extreme heights or flying.
Naturally, immersing the patient in a virtual setting solves many of these issues. The University of West Virginia in Charleston offers VR programs that help patients face a range of fears, from speaking in front of a virtual audience that grows restless and throws objects at them, to confronting heights by walking across a narrow, transparent bridge high above the ground.
While this system is proprietary and uses somewhat unrealistic graphics, it has proven successful in treating phobias. Others are now developing exposure simulators for newer platforms, such as the Oculus Rift.
+Further Reading
Now, let's embark on a virtual journey through the Mytour archives:
10 Reasons Life May Be A Computer Simulation 10 Reasons Why Our Universe Is A Virtual Reality 10 Remarkable But Scary Developments In Artificial Intelligence 10 Post-Human Entities Who Could Inherit The Earth
