How VR is Playing Transformational Role across Industry, Academia and Government?

Virtual Reality (VR) often seems more like science fiction than reality. It has come a long way and perceived as an immersive technology that puts an individual into a virtual environment. With the advancements of technology, VR has evolved much and is already making ways into a variety of industries. In industrial applications, organizations leverage this tech to bolster secure operations, productivity and serve customers better. Virtual reality is not only transforming businesses across diverse industries but also shaping our future in many ways.

The use of VR is most effective in the field of design and engineering as it allows engineers and designers to experiment easily with the look and build before commissioning lavish prototypes. In the automotive industry, for instance, VR holds much promise saving the industry’s millions by lessening the number of prototypes built per vehicle line. On the other hand, in healthcare, it allows medical professionals to prepare themselves for working on real bodies. Even it helps in training medical students by giving real-time training experience.

Typically, a virtual world is supported by devices using sensory inputs involving graphics, video, sound and sense of smell. The ability to deliver virtual environment enables businesses to build a more flexible, adaptive and productive workforce. In VR systems, a human operator is connected to computers that can imitate a variety of world, both real and imaginary, and can interact with those worlds with the help of different sensory channels and manipulators.

Not only such industries are using virtual reality but governments and a wide range of academia are also using this immersive tech.

Seizing the Opportunities of VR in Government 

As virtual reality creates an opportunity for users to experience work situations in a controlled environment, government agencies have seen a tremendous increase in the use of this tech over the last few years. The military services, for instance, have been at the forefront of the use of VR applications for advanced training. In the civilian sector of public safety, the applications of VR can be used to enhance resilience in times of emergencies and support interoperable communications for first responders.

By leveraging the capabilities of AR and VR to visualize data, governments can enhance engineering or city maintenance. As these technologies are able to extract information in real-time and not have to search for, it will save governments and their contractors a lot of time. It also offers the opportunity to see structural elements from other perspectives, ones not feasible to carry out in reality. In public health and safety, VR can be an effective solution. By using this technology, government workers can see where failures occurred in the past and offer better, customized solutions as it gives access to the data of previous inspections.

The use of VR applications can transform the way government functions via virtual government. This is rapidly growing and evolving in terms of delivering citizens services with accessibility to government websites and data sources. For instance, Mechelen is the first city in the Benelux to offer a virtual visit through the entire city.

How Academia Use VR?

In recent years, augment and virtual realities have been making incredible strides in education. These technologies offer a virtual learning experience to students by giving access to virtual classrooms. Through VR, students can absorb information in a much better way as it puts them in a 3D environment that makes everything more fun, exciting and enjoyable. Using this tech even allows students to explore and travel without leaving the classroom. This immersive field trip enables them to re-erect the experience of a field trip in a virtual environment.

Last year, Lethbridge College in Alberta and Centennial College in Toronto conducted the world’s first full-day VR/AR conference using virtual reality. Majors in VR and AR have started popping up in higher education across the U.S., including programs at the Savannah School of Design (GA), Shenandoah University (VA) and Drexel University Westphal (PA). According to estimations from Gartner, 60 percent of higher education institutions in the United States will deliberately use VR to create an enhanced simulation and learning environment by 2021.

VR applications also enable access to experience virtual labs. It enables students to replicate lab experience in a virtual environment that allows an affordable and accessible way for students to experience lab work. Moreover, the uses of virtual reality have a huge impact in the academic context.