Up until recently, the term “virtual reality” usually meant sticking goggles and headsets on and immersing yourself in a different world.
That might be how VR technology was in the past, but today’s innovations have changed the industry significantly. Now, VR has crossed over from entertainment and is used to solve serious problems, like healthcare issues.
Surprised? There’s a whole lot about virtual reality and its counterpart, augmented reality, you might not know. These seven facts will change how you view the science behind VR.
1. VR’s Tech is Going 4D
Previously, even the most expensive goggles and headset had limits as to how you could see the virtual world around you. A new Bionic display by a startup company called Varjo has changed this forever.
Their product removes the pixelated look from a VR environment. It works the same way as the optic nerves in a human eye. Two displays are combined together, so the viewer has the peripheral and the forefront field of view at once.
2. The Stock Market Has Gone Virtual
You can buy and sell stocks from your phone, of course. A new up-and-coming VR invention might make that obsolete, too.
Imagine using a headset and goggles to play a video game in a virtual world. Only, swap out the game environment for a Wall Street one.
Glimpse Group’s new VR developer, D6, lets traders and analysts see the stock market charts and data in 3D. They can walk through the charts they’re using and change them by hand.
If you didn’t know what was going on in a portfolio, the new 3D trading environment makes everything crystal clear.
3. VR is a Skyrocketing Industry
If you want to invest in something that’s sure to help your portfolio, look at AR and VR stocks. Virtual reality alone is projected to hit $34 billion within the next two years. Combining it with AR, the target is a whopping $94 billion by 2023.
This is due in part to the demand for AR and VR as the post-pandemic world goes increasingly virtual. As the technology becomes more affordable and easier to access, fields like healthcare and retail are investing in digitizing their professions.
4. Medical Virtual Reality is a Real Thing
Robots performing surgery? Yes, it’s a real—and coveted—thing.
Healthcare has been rocked by the changes in VR over the past ten years.
Doctors can stand behind a computer and instruct virtual surgeons to perform operations. Patients can wear headsets to relax during their hospital stay. And it’s increasingly common for doctors to treat patients via a virtual screen rather than in person.
With VR, healthcare is more affordable, accessible, and efficient.
5. VR and the Classroom Environment
When the world shut down due to COVID-19, teachers and parents struggled to educate their children. One of the biggest complaints was the lack of engagement and socialization.
A new type of VR called 360VR fixes this problem. The technology uses images of locations in the real world caught by special equipment. That footage gets turned into VR content, which is then explored by students as though they were at the scene.
These “immersive” images are used to help students feel like they’re part of a world that seems increasingly isolated. It’s a field trip without leaving their home or classroom.
6. Buying a Home? Do it Virtually
Real estate is another industry that has advanced its technique with virtual reality.
Clients who are interested in a home can view it from anywhere around the world, walking through it using VR technology. Empty homes are instantly filled with “staging” furniture to make the space look attractive to potential buyers.
Anyone who wants to build instead of buy doesn’t have to use confusing 2D blueprints anymore. With architectural 3d visualization technology, their home is virtually built right before their eyes. They can check for any flaws or things they want to adjust before the first builder gets started.
7. Need an Accountability Partner? VR Helps You Exercise
Sports and workout routines are changed forever with the new VR equipment on the market.
These products simulate a virtual environment that helps athletes boost their training, no matter where they are. People working out at home have access to lifelike avatars or real humans who push and encourage them to keep going.
Lack of accountability is no longer an issue with the VR training programs available today.
Conclusion
From gaming and stocks to healthcare and education, there aren’t too many fields that virtual reality hasn’t touched yet. The multi-billion dollar industry is just starting out. With the innovations already in use, the sky’s the limit with how far VR and AR developers will be able to go in the future.
