Who would use virtual reality?

Virtual Reality has become one of the biggest forms of entertainment for the masses in 2018. The number of VR headset makers is on a continual rise and production of VR content is at an all-time high. People, who are not into gaming often wonder, Is VR good only for games? Or is there more to this technology than war games and racing games?

In reality, gaming is just one application of Virtual reality. There are several important applications of VR in the real world that serve a purpose more significant than entertainment. Let us discuss a few significant applications of VR in different industries.

Medicine: This is one of the most important applications of virtual reality. The technology has already seen an early adoption in surgery training, robotic surgery and skills training of new doctors and surgeons.

HumanSim system is one example of the way medical schools use the VR tech to allow doctors, nurses and other medical staff to interact with a patient within a 3D environment. The patient is connected with sensors to measure his emotions and is used to train new doctors on how to handle patient interactions.

VR diagnostics has enabled doctors to diagnose a patient’s problem without an invasive procedure like surgery. VR, combined with MRI scans makes it easy for doctors to get a clearer picture of inner workings of the body in a 3D model.

They also use VR to train doctors in robotic surgery. This method helps reduce the time and chances of complications.

The military was one of the first organisations to fund and utilise VR technology. Starting from flight simulators to simulated para drops, all the three wings of the armed forces make heavy usage of VR to train its soldiers. VR helps them train their reactions to the situation without physically endangering them and reducing the cost of such exercises.

Virtual reality war games are not only limited to teenage gamers. The military has spent billions of dollars to create these war games to train their elite squads to hone their reaction times and make other battleground adjustments. Civilians can only dream of the realism of the military grade equipment.

The education sector is another area where VR can contribute significantly. Presenting ideas in a 3D format not only makes it more interesting but also brings a level of realism missing from reading texts on a page. Many institutions are using VR to train students in some specialised fields of study like molecular chemistry, advanced engineering, etc.

Even professional sports persons use VR to improve their skills levels. High-performance athletes are using simulations to improve their reaction time, biomechanics and strategy.

Apart from being used for performance enhancement, VR is also being used to bring the fans closer to events. Certain events allow fans to do a virtual walk-through of a stadium, pit stop and other places. These kinds of interactions help the audience feel closer to the sport and encourage more sales.