Virtual reality (VR) technology enables users to explore 3D spaces using specialized headsets and hand controllers. Cameras and motion tracking technology track the user’s real-world actions, enabling them to interact naturally with objects and each other in simulated environments.
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VR offers unparalleled user immersion, a sense of presence —Ìýwhere the user truly feels that they’re part of the virtual world. However, the lack of a real ‘killer app’, the cumbersome nature of the devices, and the price and accessibility of the hardware needed to deliver and access VR environments, has so far limited its adoption among businesses and consumers.
Simulated three-dimensional spaces viewed through headsets that can be explored and interacted with through natural human gestures and actions.
New opportunities to engage with customers, safely and remotely train employees, and establish your place in the metaverse.
Low adoption of VR hardware has limited its mainstream potential. The technology remains expensive and impractical for many use cases.
Today, VR is primarily used to train employees for dangerous environments, provide remote action and deliver novel consumer experiences.
What is virtual reality?
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Virtual reality technology uses dedicated devices — typically headsets and so-called haptic devices, which engage users' tactile senses — to immerse users in simulated environments where they can interact with their surroundings, just as they do in their physical surroundings.Ìý
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Cameras and haptic input devices capture the user’s body movements and gestures, and translate them into actions within the simulated environment — enabling users to perform an almost limitless range of activities.
What’s in it for you?
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VR has created a whole new way for organizations to interact with their customers — delivering engaging experiences, while also helping businesses learn more about how people really interact with their products.
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It’s also a powerful tool for training, giving teams the chance to explore and learn about hazardous environments without exposing themselves to risk, or unlikely but important events, such as the loss of critical buildings. VR can enable experts to train others virtually, no matter where they are in the world. However, work in this space has mainly been experimental as of now, with most use cases yet to see mainstream adoption.
What are the trade-offs of virtual reality?
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While VR offers unmatched user immersion, it remains expensive and impractical for many use cases. Building simulated environments can take a lot of time and money, and VR headsets and devices are expensive to acquire and maintain.
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The number of use cases for VR may be fairly limited, so the technology remains relatively uncommon. However, if the growth of the metaverse drives adoption up, that could be set to change over the coming years.
How is virtual reality being used?
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The most common applications of VR technology are in industrial training (pilots, hazardous jobs), remote action (medical diagnoses and some operations), and consumer entertainment. Hardware like the Oculus Rift has brought VR into the home for the first time, giving users the chance to explore novel experiences, and setting the stage for the arrival and growth of the metaverse over the next few years.
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In industry, VR can allow engineers and designers to design, visualize, and simulate the look and build of a vehicle before commissioning expensive prototypes.
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On the consumer side, VR is being used to create interactive experiences that customers can access either in stores or in their own home. Tom’s Shoes — a brand that donates a portion of all sales to people in need — built a VR experience that enables customers to virtually walk a mile in the shoes of the people that their purchase benefits, connecting the customer to their social cause.
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