As a technology writer it is my job to explore areas which are sometimes strange and unfamiliar to me. To be completely honest I don't have a lot of experience in working with or writing about VR but I thought I'd take a shot at explaining VR in this article and talk about some of the cool applications that are currently being developed in order to leverage its potential and bring about a new age of entertainment and education.
Essentially it is the application of computer technology to alter the state of reality for the user. To take them somewhere different and stimulate their senses in an effort to make the experience as real as possible while remaining stationary or possibly moving in a facility containing the equipment necessary to do so.
So now that we understand what VR is or at least have begun to understand what it is. The more important question at hand is, why would someone want to experience a virtual reality? What purpose could it possibly serve that reality could not?
I was surprised to learn how VR is being put to use in terms of medical applications. In an article published by Forbes entitled 'Virtual Reality: The Alternative To Marijuana And Opioids For Pain Management' I learned that it can be a surprisingly good alternative to the use of pain medication.
According to the article there are many applications for its use in modern hospitals including surgery, rehabilitative medicine, psychiatry, and psychology.
This was the part that really got me interested. Are our minds so powerful that simply being distracted or visually experiencing something pleasant could do wonders to reduce pain? According to modern science yes they are and with VR applied in the right way, it can.
So not only can VR reduce acute pain but it has also proven useful in addressing chronic pain. I don't know about you but this makes me extremely excited and I may even use it as an excuse if I decide to bring home a brand new VR unit and boot it up when my girlfriend asks me why I'm wasting money I'll tell her modern science says it can help my dodgy back and give me relief...
The simple fact that VR is being put to use and actually has shown lots of promising results in medicine makes me take a more favorable stance towards this newly emerging technology and also peaks my interest in wanting to try it out for myself!
Based on all the research I've presented above, there is a lot to learn about VR systems currently on the market and those currently being developed.
The applications are all over the place and VR could be an important tool to help people fix psychological problems, alleviate pain and basically just blow off steam!
VR in its current form is getting pretty cool in regard to the game titles available and the current headset technology needed to access these games.
I see a lot of potential in this growing industry and I need to get over to one of these arcades as soon as possible and try some of these titles out for myself!
Now I want to know what my readers think about all this cool VR tech! Have you tried some of these VR titles? Do you know anyone that has received medical treatment through the use of VR? What do you expect future VR systems to allow us to explore?
Thanks for reading.