Contemporary virtual reality has very much been confined to the world of gaming with console giants such as Playstation releasing VR dedicated content and peripherals in the coming year. But could VR impact the way that we experience the world?
We take a look at five ways that virtual reality could change the way that we interact with one another and the world around us.
The way that we treat brain injuries and mental illness
Skip Rizzo, a psychologist at the University of Southern California, has been using virtual reality to help rehabilitate people with brain injuries since the early nineties.
Treating everything from post-traumatic stress to autism, VR is used to put patients into a simulation of a stressful environment and then used to improve their reactions, practise coping mechanisms and can even be used to assist accident victims in physically rehabilitating their bodies.
“Visit” places you’ve never been before
With virtual reality you’ll be able to visit everywhere from the Amazon rainforest to the Sahara Desert from the comfort of your own couch.
Apart from digital globetrotting you’ll also be able to carry out basic chores with the help of VR. You’ll be able to visit and shop around virtual stores, estate agents will be able to show prospective clients various properties and you’ll be able to attend virtual meetings with colleagues from around the globe.
Teach people to do anything
Pilots use flight simulators and doctors practise on cadavers, but virtual reality could make training in these disciplines easier and more accessible in the future.
With virtual reality we could simulate real life situations, such as complex surgery or commercial airline flights, fairly easily and without the greater costs currently needed to recreate training conditions.
Attend concerts or sporting events in VR
With virtual reality you’ll never have to worry about missing your favourite events after the tickets are sold out. And you won’t have to worry about being stuck in the cheap seats either, with the likelihood being that you’ll be able to experience the action from the front row, or even being able to get onto the field itself.
And the same goes for music concerts, where concert-goers will be able to get right up in front or even take to the stage with their favourite artists and performers.