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SPRING 2018
How Virtual Reality is Enhancing
Safety, Education, Medicine, and More
Remodeling a Room
Lowe’s, the home improvement giant,
is using what it calls a Holoroom to
virtually remodel a room. The Holoroom
combines a headset and software to
allow you to try different decorating
options with the sense that you’re in
the actual room. Other companies have
similar products including Personal
Architect software, Ikea’s virtual planner,
and Ideal Spaces.
MakingWork Sites Safer
Construction can be dangerous, but
virtual reality is making it safer. A group
of German researchers is applying the
same technology used in computer
games to allow construction supervi-
sors to design sites in advance and
then virtually check them for potential
problems. Because virtual workers have
unlimited lives, problematic equipment
or site arrangements can be identified
in advance.
Improving Education
Remember learning about biology from
pictures in textbooks? What if those pic-
tures could come to life? That’s exactly
what happens with The Body VR, a virtual
tour through the human body. Available
through the Steam entertainment platform
and the Oculus Store, this presentation
gives you an up-close view of various parts
of the human anatomy for a memorable
experience of how they function.
Increasing Empathy
Results from a recent study showed that
participants understand the plight of ani-
mals in perilous situations better if they
have a physical experience that mimics
the conditions rather than if they simply
watch a film about it. This type of experi-
ence may help humans better care for
animals and the environment. Similarly,
government organizations are creating
virtual scenarios to help citizens empathize
with refugees and military personnel.
Simplifying Home Sales
New home seekers can use a headset to
virtually walk through a house either at
a real estate office or from their home.
This process makes house hunting easier
and more convenient for both home-
buyers and sellers. Of course, shoppers
will still physically go to view homes,
but virtual reality helps them rule out
those homes not worth the time of an
in-person tour.
Treating Medical Conditions
Virtual reality technology can be used to
create soothing conditions for patients
to experience while undergoing painful
medical treatments. It can also help treat
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
by allowing sufferers to recreate difficult
memories with a therapist. Additionally,
it can assist those prone to anxiety
attacks by guiding them through calming
breathing exercises.
Virtual reality has the potential to mimic just about any real-world reality, helping users plan, learn,
heal, and experience things they may not be able to experience in any other way. In the coming
years, virtual reality will expand into more areas of life. Here are a few exciting uses already underway: