Today virtual reality (VR) is widely popular in the gaming and entertainment industry.
Many of us have probably already tried the VR roller coaster or got on a spaceship fighting the aliens, or maybe climbed a high mountain or went into the jungle in virtuality. And it’s great that today virtual reality has shifted from the original scientific developers sphere to the consumers side.
In order to fully immerse into virtual environment we use specific devices. Primarily it’s head-mounted displays (HMD) or VR helmets. Many of them offer good quality displays and a wide viewing angle. Audio system (usually headphones) also help us plunge into virtual worlds. Besides there are VR gloves and suits with tactile feedback.
To deceive our feelings even more today there exist special external or helmet-embedded aroma producing devices that make us smell freshly-grounded morning coffee or imagine ourselves in the rainy forest.
Even if you do not have an HMD and a powerful computer, you can still try to get immersed into a virtual environment. All you need is a just regular smartphone and cardboard plus a mobile VR application downloaded from the online store.
The demand for useful VR projects that could be used in science, manufacturing, advertising and the gaming industry dictates the active development of VR technologies. Every month new devices appear on the markets, hundreds of VR project are created, gigabytes of VR content are uploaded to online app stores, billions of dollars are invested into VR startups.
Big numbers and broad perspectives are great. However, let's take a closer look at specific examples of the effective use of VR in various spheres.
Training and simulations
Virtual Reality is very successfully applied to simulations and both hard and soft skills trainings. For example, Qatar Airways have introduced VR to educate engineers to operate with Airbus A380 aircraft engine more effectively. The problem is that these engines are so huge that it is difficult and costly to work with them in real environment. The VR simulation created allows the company to save budgets significantly, train more qualified specialists, as well as release the engines potential to fly more frequently.
Another excellent example of personnel training in VR is provided by the Russian X5 retail group, which trains personnel from the department stores via virtual simulations. Such systems of managers tuition is also used in banking industries.
Education
Modern education also brings virtual reality in the learning process. School classes are equipped with VR laboratories, and schoolchildren and students take part in numerous hackathons and championships in creating VR projects. The use of virtual reality in the classroom allows students to immerse into a unique educational environment, to reach higher level of involvement in the investigated subject.
What would you prefer: to take a trip to the neighboring galaxy in virtual reality exploring it from the inside, or look at the flat image of solar system in the textbook? The answer is obvious! VR rules!
Culture
VR opens up tremendous opportunities and allows you to create without limits.
Immersive theatrical VR productions, VR films direction, live VR broadcasts at major cultural and sporting events, travelling in spaces and times... You will no longer need to buy expensive tickets to your favorite band concert and travel to another city or country. You will just put on your HMD and will immediately teleport to the very center of the action.
Business
What for can VR be used in business? Sales and revenue increase.
With the help of VR literally any business can creatively and smartly demonstrate its product to potential investors and clients, at exhibitions and in sales offices, etc. For example, in the real estate market developers successfully sell non-yet-existing apartments walking a client through the soon-to-be-built houses.
A simple and an effective solution was implemented by McDonalds restaurants in Sweden. They turned the standard Happy Meal cardboard box into a VR cardboard inviting consumers to play a cool game during lunch.
There are literally million ways to use virtual reality in any sphere of life. Open the doors to this amazing animated immersive VR worlds by using the easy-to-use EV Toolbox – a toolkit for creating AR and VR projects quickly and easily. Zero programming skills required.
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