Thanks to the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and a plethora of other virtual reality headsets which have sprung up in the last two years, we immediately think about gaming whenever someone mentions the term “VR.” While there is no denying that virtual reality has changed the face of entertainment forever, VR tech has so much more to offer that it would be extremely ignorant to not acquaint ourselves with at least some of the other things that it has to offer both now and in the future.
Military Application
In order to lower costs, and make it safer and more efficient, the military in many parts of the world are implementing super enhanced virtual reality programs as a part of training. The versatility of the VR tech in general brings too much to the table for the military to state them all in the scope that we have here, especially since most of it isn’t really public knowledge. Nevertheless, the following should help you get a rough idea of things.
- Learning to deal with explosives
- Bomb defusing
- Creation and introduction of various training simulations that would be impossible to replicate in real life
- Operational training for vehicles and aircraft
Education
The potential of using virtual reality to impart education on students is just tremendous. Consider the following points to get a very realistic idea of what we can expect VR to bring to students in the future.
- Use of live animals for teaching anatomy may become mostly unnecessary
- Medical students can practice with a virtual cadaver innumerable times before moving on to the real thing
- Dental students can also do the same with a patient simulation
- Students can see and experience what they are studying simultaneously, making lessons more wholesome than ever thought possible
Criminal Investigation
The forensic department can recreate crime scenes with the data that they already have and the help of virtual reality. This basically translates to a faster and more informative investigation. However, VR can also have applications in the court room, where the judge and the jury would be able to see evidence in exactly the same way the forensic experts were able to see it. This technology is already in development (The Forensic holodeck) and has been implemented successfully a few times already.
Traveling
To be honest, this one may not appeal to most people as the feeling of actually being in a place can never really be replicated by a virtual reality machine. Nevertheless, it makes for an excellent way to preview many destinations before choosing any one vacation spot. Also, people who cannot travel to certain places due to physical disabilities will definitely enjoy the VR traveling experience. Lastly, think about places which nobody can visit because of safety precautions or simply because it’s impossible. How does a trip to the moon from your living room couch sound?
Gaming
Finally, we come to the world of VR gaming and what a world it is! PlayStation VR, the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift have taken gaming to a whole new level. While it cannot be denied that by no means is VR gaming efficient enough to replace traditional gaming, the experience can range from being absolutely terrifying to downright hilarious at times. It has a long way to go but virtual reality gaming most definitely is on its way towards making that journey with games like Resident Evil 7 VR and Arizona Sunshine.
Although virtual reality has indeed come a long way and holds tremendous potential for the future, it would be safe to say that the speed at which the technology is progressing isn’t as fast as most of us had hoped it would be, back in 2015. There is more to just creating the tech when it comes to mass adoption and that’s where the industry is lacking. Let’s just hope that VR manages to go beyond its current limitations in the very near future.
