exploring the applications of virtual reality

The applications of virtual reality have grown exponentially since the invention of the first VR head-mounted display device in 1968. Originally, military training and video games were the two main ways that virtual reality was used. Now, companies and educational institutions are utilizing VR in increasingly innovative ways to achieve their organizational goals and new uses of the technology are being almost implemented daily. 

Keeping up-to-date with the non-gaming uses of virtual reality is important to understanding the full capabilities of VR tech. From job training, to education, to healthcare: the sheer multitude of places VR is popping up highlights how opening the door to new worlds is now nearly as easy as opening one’s eyes. Don’t be left behind. Bookmark this page, and let it serve as a handy resource to keep up with the most current, and most exciting applications of virtual reality.

Below, we cover some of our favorite VR applications and give you a glimpse of the exciting directions that the technology is heading. The examples are split up into distinct sections including: Training, Marketing/Branding, Education, Healthcare, Live Events, Sports, Mental Health, Retail, Travel, and Military / Police Training.

Virtual Reality As A Training Tool

1. Verizon’s VR Armed Robbery Training

Despite seeing than fewer 50 armed robberies per year, the telecommunications giant has invested in a customized VR training simulation to teach frontline employees what they should do in the event of an armed robbery. Those who have taken Verizon’s VR training describe it as “true-to-life,” “raw,” & “emotional.” Verizon’s Chief Security Officer, Michael Mason, says that the virtual reality training is targeted at protecting people- not inventory- and that it’s worth the investment if helps do so in even one real-life armed robbery.

2. Virtual Reality Road Hazard Training At UPS

In the UK, UPS is supplementing student drivers’ hands on safety training with virtual reality driving simulations that include images of local streets. Student drivers wearing 360° VR headsets must use both their senses of sight and hearing to verbally identify a variety of road hazards like railroad tracks, stopped emergency vehicles, pedestrians, and oncoming traffic. The virtual reality headsets & VR road safety trainings replace the touchscreen devices currently used in UPS Integrad classrooms. The company hopes this use of virtual reality will make the driver safety lessons a more impactful experience for employees, be “good for UPS & the people that share the roads [with them].”

3. Walmart’s VR Training Rollout For Floor Employees

Walmart is now providing frontline employees access to the once-limited training that only their managers were able to access at Walmart US Academies by distributing VR training equipment and modules to all 4,500 US locations. Loading the company’s distinctive orange pick-up towers, staying calm during a Black Friday rush, and de-escalating conflict with a disgruntled customer are all scenarios that employees will now be able to experience first-hand with the "beyond hands on” virtual reality training. Andy Trainor, senior director of Walmart U.S. Academies, says this type of experiential learning “boosts confidence and retention while improving test scores 10 to 15 percent.”

VR Marketing / BrandINg

1. Audi’s “Limit-Pushing” Promotional Game For E-Tron Models

Automotive innovator Audi is taking no shortcuts when it comes to promoting the company’s electric vehicle brand “E-Tron” by utilizing cutting edge computer simulations for branding once again. This time, with an “ambitious” mixed-reality activation to match the “new era of electric” the brand envisions. With 36 cameras and 28 sensors, up to 4 players are able to use full-body avatars to solve challenges as a team. In terms of the plot, the game delivers the unmistakable message that electricity will be a key player when it comes to the company’s vision of mobility for the future.

2. IKEA’s Virtual Reality Store

With multiple room layout options, floor and wall customization, & wide array of customizable furnishings, IKEA customers in Kuwait, Jordan, and Morocco were able to better visualize what IKEA’s products would look like in their own homes at IKEA Virtual Reality pop up stores. This groundbreaking approach to VR shopping doesn’t seem to have overhauled their entire business model-yet- but it did provide shoppers with printable of their chosen layouts & products, as well as solidify area shoppers’ views of IKEA as a brand that truly cares about the customer experience.

3. Austin Eastciders: Texas Cider With A VR Flare

Founded in 2013, Austin Eastciders believes the company’s namesake to be a place where “progressive views are embraced by all” & takes pride that “open minds have always been the first to open [their] cans.” The brewery’s East Austin tasting room, called “The Collaboratory,” is a local hot spot for live music, art, food trucks, and fun. The use of a branded virtual reality experience let their customers get creative at the product launch of their Ruby Red Grapefruit cider, and was an engaging way to not only highlight the product, but also reaffirm the Austin Eastciders brand as visionary, fresh, and modern.

Virtual Reality In Education

1. Z-Space: The World’s 1st AR/VR Laptop

Z-Space virtual reality tools make educational concepts that were once stuck in 2D on the pages of textbooks more accessible with interactive 3D applications. From K12 education to post-secondary school & career training, the portable glasses, stylus, and computer combo fit easily into a traditional learning environment is making learning fun for over a million users to date.

2. Google Expeditions Adventures

It’s no surprise that virtual reality technology has quickly found a home in the classroom. There already a huge number of different VR lessons that can transform what it’s like to learn about everything from ancient history to human anatomy. The possibilities of VR to put a new spin on the education experience are exciting to think about, and we’ve been able to participate in a few programs ourselves.

However, the usefulness of VR in education extends outside of the classroom as well. Virtual reality is a great tool for showing off college campuses to prospective students, an awesome activity to welcome students back to school, and a fun way to innovate school events.

3. Western Carolina University Uses VR For Student Nurses

At the Mountain Area Health Education Center’s (MAHEC) Biltmore Campus, students in Western Carolina University’s School of Nursing were able to “be involved in real-life experiences without real-life consequences,” according to Elaine Alexander, MAHEC simulation center director. Student nurses were able to practice treating a patient in anaphylactic shock- a situation that may or may not occur in their real-life clinicals. One student described the experience as, “a really safe environment to learn in.”

Virtual Reality In Healthcare

1. ImmersiveTouch’s Immersive View Surgical Plan

This comprehensive suite created by ImmersiveTouch allows surgeons at John Hopkins, University of Chicago, and University of Texas hospitals to “practice” complicated procedures on individual patients with haptic “touch” technology. The interactive imagery utilizes patients’ most recent medical scans to generate 3D models doctors can measure, draw on, cut, and layer to better visualize complex tissues like blood vessels and organs. Ultimately, this application of VR can improve patient outcomes by allowing doctors to experiment outside of the OR, and execute pre-tested plans within.

2. Osso VR’s “Multiplayer” Collaborative Training Solution

Known for creating virtual reality apps designed to train surgeons, Osso VR has released a new feature that allows multiple surgeons (including teachers and students) to interact within the virtual space. “Whether a surgical team is learning how to work together or a single surgeon is learning a new procedure with a medical device company, all training scenarios can benefit from removing the barriers of time, cost, location, and other resources or variables,” Dr. Justin Barad, CEO of Osso VR, said in a statement.

3. Beatriz, Clay, and Alfred Help Embodied Labs Bring Caregivers Perspective

Patients rely on in-home caregivers, hospice nurses, and other healthcare professionals to assist them as the adjust to life-altering visual impairments, Alzheimer’s, hearing loss, and terminal cancer. Embodied Labs is using interactive 360° videos to help healthcare providers see beyond the scientific understanding and into the nuanced human experience of these health conditions by literally walking in their patients’ shoes. The result is a more empathetic workforce that is more inclined to remember and use their training by the bedside.

Virtual Reality For Live Events

1. Live Sporting Events In The NextVR App

NBA fans longing to attend their favorite sport team’s next game but limited by location, finances, or other inflexible factors now have another option. A more realistic, immersive experience than watching the game live on the TV screen is in reach. The best courtside seats are now available to a wider audience than ever through VR viewing in the NextVR App.

2. Live Concerts In VR Through Oculus Venues

Music fans that are unable to travel for every gig still want the experience that live attendance offers, and Facebook is listening. Post Malone’s October Raleigh, NC concert was live streamed by immersive-entertainment startup Supersphere & made available in virtual reality to fans worldwide via Facebook’s Oculus Venues app.

3. Live Standup Comedy Shows From NYC’s Gotham Comedy Club

Whether you live on the other side of the country or the other side of the world, you can still laugh in real-time with headliners at New York City’s Gotham Comedy Club. Oculus & NextVR’s partnership brings the Gotham All-Stars show to VR. This unprecented access to the stand-up space grants viewers live VR access to comics from "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon", "Late Night with Seth Meyers", "The Late Show", "The Daily Show", Conan on TBS, Comedy Central, HBO and various other TV shows.

Virtual Reality In Sports

1. Envisioning Better Baseball At Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

The baseball team at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is breaking records with something called “imagery-assisted” virtual reality. Players watch their previous performance during games in the first person & third person as many as three times a day. The immersive video is accompanied by guided reps to improve physical performance & scripted visualizations to improve mental performance.

2. The Golden Knights’ Off-Ice Training With Sense Arena

The Golden Knights are among the first to try Sense Arena’s 75+ off-ice virtual reality training simulations, which are designed to help coaches individually evaluate each player’s strengths and weaknesses. The benchmarked and scored drills make it easier for the team to choose which skills to practice together on the ice.

3. Football Players Walking In Each Other’s Cleats With Strivr

Dartmouth, The New England Patriots, The Dallas Cowboys, The San Francisco 49ers, Auburn University, Vanderbilt University, and The University of Arkansas are all among the teams benefitting from STriVR Labs’ virtual reality football training. One major benefit is that it allows all 5 or 6 of a team’s quarterbacks to take mental reps based on real gameplay, keeping them sharp even without setting foot on the field.

Virtual Reality For Mental Health

1. VR Exposure Therapy That Helps Veterans At UCF

Virtual reality exposure therapy has proven so promising that $1 million of Army funds has been invested in making the VR tech at UCF Restores, a leading PTSD research center, more realistic. The goal is to provide more detailed, vivid simulations to veterans undergoing treatment for PTSD, as well as more detailed insights for clinicians responsible for their care.

2. Early Alzheimer’s Diagnosis With VR At Cambridge University

The UK-based Alzheimer’s Society has committed to funding a 3 year study at Cambridge University on the potential of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease before the symptoms even show by using virtual reality testing. An initial study suggested that the VR approach, which looks at the patient’s ability to navigate a route with (and without) it being marked, may be more effective than current “gold-standard” tests for the disease.

3. University Of California’s Research On VR For Depression

Researchers at the University of California believe that placing patients with depression into virtual reality coral reefs, sunlit forests, and community events (and coaching them to be more open to the positive aspects of them) may help with the common but undertreated symptom of anhedonia. According to Michelle Crask, a lead researcher on the team, “Most treatments, up until now, have done an OK job at reducing negative [symptoms of depression], but a very poor job at helping patients become more positive.” The ultimate goal of the program is to help patients learn to plan pleasurable activities, really take part, and reap the positive rewards.

Virtual Reality For Retail

1. Amazon Imagines The Future Of Shopping For Prime Day

For Prime Day, Amazon set up virtual shopping stations across 10 different locations and allowed shoppers to test out products in a virtual space. Virtual reality is often discussed in terms of it’s gaming applications, but the ability to impact everyday tasks is an important factor in seeing widespread adoption of various VR technologies. If you could go to the store virtually, would you? That may be an option sooner than you think!

2. Merrel Creates A VR Trailscape To Showcase Footwear

In order to promote their newest footwear, Merrel created an outdoor experience that had customers walking through the mountains, traversing wobbly wooden bridges, and keeping their cool while the ground shakes around them. The promise of promoting a retail product in VR in this example comes from the ability to show an amazing use case that keeps customers talking about your brand.

Virtual Reality For Travel

1. Explore The World Through Virtual Reality

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Whether you want to explore Rio De Janeiro, discover amazing views of Antartica, visit your childhood home, or just take a virtual walk down the block, you can make it happen in VR. Expanding from the classic Google Earth application, the added VR capability allows you to fly through computer generated city skylines as well as take it down to street level and see real world views of your surroundings.

Virtual Reality In The Military and Police force

1. NYPD Uses Virtual Reality For Active Shooter Training

How do you train police officers for active shooting situations in a safe environment, but also with dynamic elements playing out in the simulation? The answer that the NYPD found comes from the use of virtual reality scenarios. A key benefit of VR training is that it allows officers to go through multiple training modules in a short amount of time, which increases the overall value of their specific training period. Also, with the added air-soft rifles and back mounted units allowing full mobile experiences, officers are able to experience full immersion.

Finding the perfect vr application for you

More VR applications are being created all of the time and we’re excited to see what amazing examples are soon to come. With a specific focus on events, we are here to help you take any of these VR applications and incorporate them into your event plans. Having experience in each category, we’re ready and willing to share our lessons learned and help create the best possible experience for you and your guests.

Our team of VR experts is ready to be put to the test, so don’t hesitate to reach out and we can suggest our most popular VR event applications, find the perfect match to your event idea or theme, or even start from the beginning and completely customize an experience to meet all of your event goals.

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