How VR Has Changed How We Visualize and Share Ideas

It’s been less than 10 years since the first Oculus Rift VR headset prototype came on the scene. At first, the promise of immersive experiences and access to environments near and far seemed unfathomable.

But in a very short time, VR has quickly become ingrained in many aspects of our lives, across every industry – from healthcare and education to entertainment and hospitality.

Here’s a look at several pioneering applications of VR that change how we visualize and share ideas.

Healthcare

In the healthcare industry, VR has changed how surgeons plan operations. Instead of piecing together multiple 2D images, surgeons now make use of virtual reality images to visually “see”, interpret and interact with a patient’s anatomy prior to surgery. Both surgeons and patients alike can visualize what will take place during a procedure because VR provides the ability to rotate and view dimensional images from any angle.

VR also brings medical learning and teaching to larger audiences. In the past, only small groups of medical students could attend and observe an operation. Now, surgeons use a virtual reality camera to stream operations globally, with students worldwide donning VR goggles to step into the OR and watch every detail of the procedure.

Automotive

VR has become a game changer for automobile manufacturers, dealers, and car consumers. For manufacturers, engineers use VR to view proposed prototypes before the car is even manufactured. Since automotive design requires continuous improvement, review, and testing, VR gives designers the ability to cut costs and time by virtually visualizing the vehicle before creating a physical mock-up.

Because they can’t stock every combination of available car colors and features, dealers turn to VR to make it easier for buyers to visualize their car – and more enticing to buy. For example, Audi has introduced VR showrooms where consumers put on a VR headset to look at colors and car configurations on the fly, helping them to visualize being in the driver’s seat of their specific desired car.

Education

Although shelves of encyclopedias have been replaced by Google, Alexa, and Siri to make fact-finding easier, VR offers a whole new way for students and adults to learn. Nick Babich, a developer, and tech enthusiast explains, “Virtual reality can transform the way educational content is delivered.”

According to Babich, VR is powerful for education because:

• People can learn about a subject by living it.
• It provides an experienced anchor to instruction, giving people an opportunity to learn by doing.
• Emotional reactions like awe and excitement frequently experienced during VR interaction are fundamental to forming memories, which makes the learned concept more memorable.
• Being able to visualize complex functions or mechanisms makes it easier to comprehend.

Hospitality/Tourism

With VR, if travelers are able to see destinations, popular activities, accommodations, and more before booking, it helps them visualize what it would like to be to take a trip there.

As an example of how VR is used to boost bookings, Visit Mammoth in California uses a cutting-edge 360-degree/VR video to showcase the region’s breathtaking landscapes in a way that simply isn’t possible with images and traditional video. Viewers follow along in VR with a group of adventurers as they spend a day skiing, mountain biking, paragliding, kayaking and horseback riding – allowing them to visualize their vacation experience.

Events & Meetings

Several years ago, Anheuser-Busch set the VR bar high for giving event attendees a new view of the world. Visitors to the SXSW Budweiser Garage donned VR headsets and were treated to a multi-sensory tour of the St. Louis brewery that involved seeing, hearing, and even smelling different parts of the facility.

But that isn’t the only way VR is changing how events and meetings are visualized. With platforms like AllSeated, planners and attendees are able to experience a fully immersive site survey through VR. Walking through an event space from anywhere gives planners an amazing 3D glimpse into what it would look like to host their event at any venue – right from the comfort of their office or home.

These kinds of immersive VR site surveys also have another powerful application: providing event teams with security and situation awareness training. VR now is used to bring staff and volunteers up to speed on security processes and exits, which may include taking a virtual tour of the exit strategies before event teams even arrive on site.

VR offers tremendous potential and value to open up new ways for view the world and share ideas. Contact us to learn more about unlocking the power of AllSeated for better event and venue visualization.