Ten Mind-Bending Uses for Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is an immersive experience that allows you to interact with a digital world. It involves a headset with displays that show the virtual world and stereoscopic lenses that make it appear 3D to your eyes. VR also includes motion tracking to detect your movements and respond accordingly.

It can be used in education and training to simulate experiences that would be difficult, expensive or dangerous to replicate in real life.

1. Entertainment

Whether cheering on your favorite sports team, visiting the Mona Lisa, or playing a game of Frisbee with friends, everything we currently do for fun could eventually be augmented by VR. Virtual reality creates immersive computer-generated environments that trick your brain into thinking they are real and can involve all the senses, including sight, hearing, touch, and smell.

VR also has the potential to bring new types of entertainment to audiences, ranging from art galleries to geographic locations and battlefields. It can even be used to take people on roller coasters or other stomach-dropping experiences that are normally too dangerous to attempt in the real world.

There are also non-immersive VR experiences, such as augmented reality (AR), that use a headset to overlay virtual elements onto physical objects in the real world. These kinds of applications are becoming increasingly commonplace in our everyday lives.

2. Education

Virtual reality is revolutionizing education, enabling students to experience complex topics in a way that’s far more meaningful than traditional textbooks. With curriculum-aligned content and structured VR lesson plans, students are transported out of the classroom and their imaginations can flourish.

For example, students interested in archaeology can go on a virtual field trip to the Great Pyramids or explore ruins of ancient China or Greece. Similarly, students interested in biology can immerse themselves in a virtual world of microscopic molecules or step inside the Sistine Chapel.

Educators can also help prepare students for future careers by providing them with virtual role-playing experiences. Students can practice what it’s like to operate a nuclear power plant or identify the parts of a heart without ever having to enter a hospital [50]. Students with autism can even participate in social cognition training via VR - helping them build and develop important interpersonal skills.

3. Healthcare

VR has made its way into many aspects of healthcare and is one of the most exciting technologies in this field. In surgery, for example, VR can replace the need for cadaver labs and help surgeons practice procedures in risk-free environments, fine-tune their skills, and learn new techniques, leading to improved patient outcomes.

For patients with mental health issues, VR can be used to help them overcome phobias or anxiety by exposing them to situations they’d be reluctant or unable to experience in real life. For instance, a virtual shopping center can be used to treat a fear of crowds, or a virtual museum to help them overcome a fear of history.

Studies have shown that the main barriers for VR use in healthcare are related to the wider system and adoption over time, including organizational obstacles such as a lack of staff, training, technical support, and treatment rooms equipped with VR equipment.

4. Business

Businesses are utilizing VR for employee training, customer service, and sales presentations. Moreover, VR is becoming an integral tool in marketing campaigns, helping brands stand out from the crowd.

Some industries are using VR to simulate dangerous work environments, allowing employees to practice safety protocols in a risk-free environment. For example, Ford’s technicians will soon use VR to train on the new Mustang Mach-E without the need for a physical model.

Others are using it to show customers what a store will look like before it’s built. This helps architects visualize their designs, as well as home and office furnishing companies to market themselves to customers. It is also used in cognitive behavior therapy to help patients with phobias and anxieties overcome their fears. Additionally, it has helped improve telemedicine and business meetings. It is even being used in airports to showcase cabin design to passengers.

5. Training

Aside from the obvious entertainment and education uses for VR, it can also be an excellent training tool. From simulated high-stakes situations in dangerous work environments to complex technical training, VR can replicate difficult scenarios in an affordable and safe space.

One example is Norcat’s VR-based safety training for mining operations, where employees can practice the correct way to handle equipment safely. Another is aviation training, where pilots and service staff can train on a variety of flight simulators to perfect their skills in real-life-like conditions.

In addition to the cost-effective scalability and ease of use, VR can create an emotional connection to training materials, increasing knowledge retention. A 2019 study by professional services firm PwC found that workers trained using VR were more confident in their abilities and learned faster than those who took self-paced e-learning courses or classroom-based training.

6. Sports

The sports industry is one of the most advanced when it comes to integrating VR technology. Sports fans have the opportunity to watch matches in Virtual Reality and experience the highs and lows of their favourite team.

In addition, players are now using VR to train, which has helped them improve their skills. For example, baseball players can practice batting in VR without the need for a pitching machine.

Another use of VR in sports is to allow players to visualize college campuses and locker rooms to make their recruiting process much easier. VR also allows athletes to practice and simulate their games in different conditions, which can help prevent injuries.

Despite these advances, there are some drawbacks to VR in sports. For instance, VR headsets offer a solitary experience, which can take away the social aspect of watching sports. However, there are ways to solve this problem, such as the use of virtual conferencing tools.

7. Entertainment for Special Needs

The latest VR technology can provide immersive educational experiences that can transport students to different environments – museums, art galleries, geographic locations, battlefields, and even outer space. This can help students learn and explore new concepts in a safe environment, where they can practice them and gain a deeper understanding of them.

Although this new technology can offer a lot of benefits, it isn’t without its limitations. For example, some users may experience discomfort or dizziness during VR use, which is known as cybersickness. This can be caused by lags in the system, position tracking errors, and visual displays [70].

Researchers are working on developing VR games to improve cognitive and learning skills in people with special needs. For example, one study used a motion-controlled game to teach children with intellectual disabilities to wash their hands.

8. Sports Training

A virtual world is a perfect fit for sports because of its immersive nature. VR can allow fans to watch live sporting events when tickets are sold out or they cannot travel.

Another benefit is that it can give athletes an ultrarealistic game environment to train in. This can help them become more familiar with the situation they will face on match day and hone their skills.

It can also enable training that would be too risky to reenact in real life, like NASCAR drivers practicing maneuvers without the need for a racetrack or American football players practicing formations without having to wear full pads and practice on a field.

Finally, VR can provide data-driven insights that coaches can analyze to improve performance and track progress over time. This is particularly important for team-based sports, which often involve geographical barriers.

9. Entertainment for the Elderly

VR gaming provides an immersive world that is both entertaining and engaging. It also challenges the brain in ways that enhance memory, problem-solving skills, and cognitive improvement.

When used in moderation, VR gaming is safe. However, prolonged use can cause eye strain and fatigue. It is also important to take regular breaks and listen to your body.

While VR is an exciting new technology, there are many issues that must be addressed before it can be widely adopted. One of the biggest is virtual reality sickness, or cybersickness. This occurs when a user experiences symptoms of motion sickness while using a VR simulation. It is often caused by a mismatch between the motion a user perceives visually and the movement of their body [71]. This can be exacerbated by factors such as fatigue, duration, and the type of simulation or game being played.

10. Therapy

VR has grown far beyond its reputation as a video game technology, and many clinicians are exploring the potential of using it for therapy. This can involve exposing people to simulations of their fears to fight phobias, or recreating controlled versions of stressful situations to help treat PTSD.

Therapists can use virtual reality to give patients exposure therapy that goes deeper than imaginal exposure, which can be difficult for some patients because they often don’t imagine well; the experience may feel too real; and the therapist doesn’t always know what is being imagined (34).

Additionally, therapists can remotely guide their patients through experiences in VR, which makes it easier for them to access treatment, even if they live far away from a mental health clinic. However, a number of barriers remain to the wide adoption of VR therapy, including a lack of research support and training for therapists in this approach.