2. What is Virtual Reality?
Virtual reality (VR) is an
interactive computer-
generated experience taking place
within a simulated environment. It
incorporates mainly auditory and
visual feedback, but may also allow
other types of sensory feedback.
This immersive environment can be
similar to the real world or it can be
fantastical.
3. Yes, but what makes VR so interesting?
Virtual Reality has opened up a
whole new world of possibilities.
One very big wave of virtual reality
has been seen in the sector of
Gaming.
Games like Star Trek and Beat Saber
(based on Star Wars) have become
so much more immersive.
4. But can VR only be used in Gaming?
As I said, Virtual Reality has opened
up a whole new world of
possibilities.
VR can now be used in sectors like
Medicine, Military and so many
more.
Yes, Although VR has only made a
real impact in the gaming field
owing to the “realness” of the whole
thing there is scope in all fields.
5. VR in Medicine? How?
VR can be used to train medical
students without actually practicing
on human bodies.
Even experienced doctors are using
this technology to perform high risk
surgeries on a “virtual patient” and
calculate the risk factor involved.
This then helps them practice the
same surgery again and again at very
low cost.
6. VR in Medicine? How?
In social sciences and psychology,
virtual reality offers a cost-effective
tool to study and replicate
interactions in a controlled
environment.
It can be used as a form of
therapeutic intervention. For
instance, there is the case of
the virtual reality exposure
therapy (VRET), a form of exposure
therapy for treating anxiety disorders
such as post traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) and phobias.
7. VR in Military? How?
VR can be used to:
• Train trainees in the military on
how to use certain arms
• How to provide first aid to a
fellow soldier.
• The US Navy already uses VR
for Parachute Training.
8. But it has its own set of Drawbacks
• VR comes with a lot of concerns with
respect to health and safety.
• A number of unwanted symptoms
have been caused by prolonged use of
virtual reality, and these may have
slowed proliferation of the technology.
• Some users may experience twitches,
seizures or blackouts while using VR
headsets, even if they do not have a
history of epilepsy and have never had
blackouts or seizures before. As many
as one in 4,000 people may experience
these symptoms.
9. Privacy Concerns
• The persistent tracking required
by all VR systems makes the
technology particularly useful
for, and vulnerable to,
mass surveillance.
• The expansion of VR will
increase the potential and reduce
the costs for information
gathering of personal actions,
movements and responses.
10. But focusing on the positives!
One major high
quality VR headset
has to be the Oculus
Go by Facebook!
Really good VR—the kind
that can make your palms
sweat when you stand on
the edge of a virtual cliff—
is hard to come by.
Most people settle for
lacklustre experiences that
rely on smartphones and
suffer from blurry images
and smudgy lenses.
11. Oculus Go by Facebook
The Oculus Go is the first
VR headset that can create
real immersion experience
all on its own, without the
help of a high-end gaming
PC that costs as much as
your first car.
Go also launched with more
than 1,000 VR experiences,
from peaceful meditation
apps to riding impossible
roller-coaster rides.
The 16.5-ounce headset
doesn’t feel like a phone
accessory or a watered-
down version of
its predecessor. That’s
because it’s neither.
12. Conclusion
Although the VR
technology and the VR
headsets have a long way to
go till we start seeing it
everywhere.
This delay in the
development and
propagation of VR
technology is mostly
because of its medical and
safety concerns.
But VR is paving the way to
more immersive training
and entertainment
experiences.
