Virtual reality - is it hype or is it real?

There has been quite a lot of media coverage on virtual reality in recent months. This article describes applications for which VR (Virtual Reality) is well suited and applications for which VR is not as well suited. We also indulge in a historical tour of some of the classic movies to showcase VR and AR.??

Before we start discussing potential applications, we should clarify what we mean by VR, AR and MR:

???????Virtual Reality (VR) encompasses immersive experiences and content via a VR headset or HMD (head-mounted display). The content is 100% digital and computer-generated. The current reality is replaced with a new 3D digital environment in which the user is isolated from the real world.

???????Augmented reality (AR) overlays computer-generated content on top of the real world. This superimposed digital overlay can superficially interact with the environment in real-time. AR is primarily experienced via a wearable glass device or through smartphone applications.

???????Mixed reality (MR) combines several technologies into one wearable device. MR lenses or headsets present an overlay of digital content that interacts with objects in the real world in real-time. The products are, in most cases, in the research and development phase, but MR is viewed through transparent wearable glasses.

Source of definitions: https://www.aniwaa.com/guide/vr-ar/ultimate-vr-ar-mr-guide/

The first AR technology was developed in 1968 at Harvard when computer scientist Ivan Sutherland (named the “father of computer graphics”) created an AR head-mounted display system.

Augmented Reality has been used to improve movie experiences for several decades but the technology is now becoming a reality. In 1986, in the first Top Gun movie, pilots were using HUDs (Heads Up Displays). This AR technology has now become mainstream for the family car, where we can see our speed and navigational instructions displayed onto the windscreen.

We also saw the use of AR in movies such as Ironman, Total Recall and Terminator. The level of interactivity between the user and the AR system continued to evolve. AR was also used to create the game Pokemon GO which came out in 2016. By September 2016, Pokémon GO had been downloaded more than 500 million times worldwide and became the fastest game to make more than $500 million. Pokemon GO motivated its players to get more exercise as they searched to find characters to earn credits. There were also a number of players who became consumed with the game and did not watch where they were walking, e.g. walking into people and onto busy roads.

AR is now being used to provide additional information and instruction in training scenarios, diagnostic tools and medical applications. The advantage of AR is that superimposes additional information onto reality.

Another example of the use of AR is Alphabet Inc’s new augmented reality (AR) glasses can automatically translate speech in real time. Harnessing Google Translate, the glasses can listen to speech in different languages, or detect American Sign Language, and project a translation in front of a user’s eyes – like real-time subtitling. Not only could this be applied to people wishing to speak to someone from another country, but it could also prove a valuable tool to deaf or hard-of-hearing users in cases where they do not or cannot wear hearing aids. (Source: https://www.iotworldtoday.com/2022/05/18/googles-new-glasses-can-translate-speech-in-real-time/#:~:text=Google%20has%20unveiled%20a%20new,translate%20speech%20in%20real%20time.)

Lets go back to the movies and see which ones embraced VR technology. There are 2 movies that stand out for me which embraced VR technology which were Avatar and Ready Player One. Avatar was released in 2009 and at the time was the highest grossing movie ever with revenue of US$2.789b. The story of Avatar involved a paraplegic marine, Jake Sully, to use VR to become an Avatar so that he could interact with the Na’vi people on the alien world of Pandora. The VR technology enabled a disabled marine to interact as if he had no injuries when he was an Avatar in a virtual world. VR also enables people to escape their current look or image. Games like Fortnite enable you to purchase and enhance your avatar. Your avatar does not need to look anything like what you look like in real life.

The Ready Player One movie which was released in 2018 is set in the future in 2045 where vast numbers of the human race go to a virtual world called the OASIS to escape the real world. Ready Player One used VR headsets and suits to deliver the ultimate VR experience.

The scale of what is possible in VR was illustrated in July 2020 when 45.8 million people watched Travis Scott’s Astronomical Tour concert in Fortnite. It is not possible to have a physical concert with 45million people. It is estimated that a total of 120 million people have now viewed the event.

VR technology is being used today for applications such as:

1. Real estate (eg take a VR tour of a property) – you can tour every room in a house without having to go there. These virtual tours became particular popular while we were stuck in lockdowns due to COVID-19
2. House design/architecture (e.g. design your new home or renovation) – this design session could be an interactive session with your architect or by yourself at your local hardware store
3. Car design – configure your dream car with all the options you want and then get the car built to order. VR can be used by a consumer to configure their options but it can also be used by car designers to create the design in the first place
4. Tourism (e.g. get a glimpse of what your holiday could be like, even before you go) – get an idea of what would a holiday in Europe or Hawaii could like before you go
5. Training (e.g. police weapons training, pilot training, medical training) – think of a new police recruit who needs to undertake training in a hostage or shootout situation. This scenario can be created in VR easily and safely. VR works remarkably well in the flight training environment. Pilot Training Next is the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) new VR-infused training program that has shaved months off its traditional undergraduate pilot training program. This saves time and money and gets pilots in the cockpit sooner. Source: https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2022-06-01/virtual-reality-future-flight-training

Medical training is evolving from the memorisation of facts to involve more scenario based problem solving and utilising VR-based learning. VR can be used to help medical professionals visualize the interior of the human body, thus unveiling otherwise inaccessible areas. Computer graphics have made it possible to recreate any part of the body in great detail, with extreme faithfulness to reality. Moreover, training can be offered using scenarios that closely mimic common surgical situations. Real-life surgical procedures can be filmed from multiple angles with stunning quality and then combined with models of the body site being operated on, to allow the student to ‘operate’ in VR. Source: https://www.news-medical.net/health/Applications-of-Virtual-Reality-in-Medicine.aspx

There are some constraints which will impact the adoption of VR technology including:

·??????Cost of the VR headsets and building VR applications

·??????VR sessions make some people motion sick or give them vertigo

·??????Hygiene of the VR headsets if they are being shared amongst multiple people

If you are arranging a large meeting or a conference in the same physical location, it is probably not cost effective for everyone to have a VR headset. However, if the meeting is virtual, then participants can use their own VR headsets from their home or office. VR conferences involve the use of avatars rather than life-like images of the person, which could reduce the value of a business conference in VR. On the other hand, VR technology can enable massive concerts in the metaverse.

In conclusion, VR and AR technology seems to be well suited to gaming, entertainment, virtual tours, interactive design and training applications. AR technology is often less intrusive than VR technology but VR technology provides a fully immersive experience. Business meetings and recruiting activities are not as well suited to VR/AR technology at this point in time and can be accommodated by existing collaboration tools such as MS Teams and Zoom. For business meetings and recruiting activities, it is still important for us to see people’s faces and read their body language.??