What do you think of Virtual Reality?

Thread Starter

RacerFlash

Joined Nov 2, 2018
0
VR seems to be breaking out of its gaming and entertainment mold, and making an impact on fields such as medicine, education, as well as marketing and advertising. Could this technology be just as significant as AI in the future?

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nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
13,087
VR seems to be breaking out of its gaming and entertainment mold, and making an impact on fields such as medicine, education, as well as marketing and advertising. Could this technology be just as significant as AI in the future?

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I think it's in the same class as 3D TV with the general population. A gadget without much of a upside market outside of education.
 
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marcuskeene

Joined Oct 15, 2018
27
VR seems to be breaking out of its gaming and entertainment mold, and making an impact on fields such as medicine, education, as well as marketing and advertising. Could this technology be just as significant as AI in the future?
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The scope is definitely increasing than just gaming. While VR in mainstream education has it positive points, VR in healthcare is making news lately.

From pain reduction experiments to helping anxiety, its making headlines.
https://gulfnews.com/lifestyle/health-fitness/vr-in-mind-for-pain-management-1.1542096994452

Virtual reality is taking over a different kind of route in real estate business. Its quite interesting and would definitely attract the consumers.
I have been reading about a lot of projects to bring VR into mainstream industries, one of them is Virternity, they cover the role of VR as a tool in businesses and other spheres.

As of now the negative part is mostly the gear that a person has to use. Hopefully there will be better versions and alternatives to these headsets in future.
 
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Thread Starter

RacerFlash

Joined Nov 2, 2018
0
I think it's in the same class as 3D TV with the general population. A gadget without much of a upside market outside of education.
But there’s that immersive quality to VR compared to 3D. In VR, you get to somehow control the environment, where as in 3D, you’re just in for the ride. As one commenter from another forum explained it “When you go inside a house, does the house start moving around you or you move in? That's precisely the difference between VR and 3D.”

VR can create alternate worlds for you and place you inside it. Here, you can do things which may prove to be too costly, risky or even fatal in the real world.

The technology may not have gone mainstream yet, but it surely has potential don’t you think?
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
13,087
But there’s that immersive quality to VR compared to 3D. In VR, you get to somehow control the environment, where as in 3D, you’re just in for the ride. As one commenter from another forum explained it “When you go inside a house, does the house start moving around you or you move in? That's precisely the difference between VR and 3D.”

VR can create alternate worlds for you and place you inside it. Here, you can do things which may prove to be too costly, risky or even fatal in the real world.

The technology may not have gone mainstream yet, but it surely has potential don’t you think?
Sure, it has the potential to be another level of distraction for people. Very useful for medical treatments like pain management. Maybe kids today have limited imaginations but I don't need a VR headset to create a alternate world in my head. I can do that by just reading a good book.
 

marcuskeene

Joined Oct 15, 2018
27
Sure, it has the potential to be another level of distraction for people. Very useful for medical treatments like pain management. Maybe kids today have limited imaginations but I don't need a VR headset to create a alternate world in my head. I can do that by just reading a good book.
Then how about helping autistic kids?
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563216303089

The applications are as vast as we want to take them.
Real estate has been exploring VR and its believed it indeed will help attract consumers.

I agree the gear is the negative point here but we cant really deny the tech is useful.
 

marcuskeene

Joined Oct 15, 2018
27
Yes, also in healthcare. Apparently, VR can help amputees feel their prosthetics. I think it’s amazing.

https://www.reuters.com/video/2018/08/14/virtual-reality-helps-amputees-feel-thei?videoId=454584302

Its being encouraged by a lot of mainstream and complex industries, healthcare at the forefront. I also see VR becoming increasingly useful in education. I hope advancements let us create more comfortable, less bulky gear to make it easier for the users in long term.
 

justtrying

Joined Mar 9, 2011
439
Teaching applications, yes. Training simulations.

However, out brain has enough problems descerning reality as it is. None of us can really agree on what reality is in the current world, look at its state, if every one of us perceived it the same, there would be no conflicts, big or small. The issue of using it for general population and especially with undeveloped brain is huge.

I am not sure how many realized, but since parents started giving tablets to their infants and toddlers, a rudimentary generation of "borgs" was born as every interaction with the tablet affects their developing neurologic pathways. Now put these children in VR simulation? Because why? I fully agree with what was said above - as I read a book, my imagination and my own brain abilities surpass anything that can be offered. And it is mine, noone can exert control over that.
 

marcuskeene

Joined Oct 15, 2018
27
Now put these children in VR simulation? Because why? I fully agree with what was said above - as I read a book, my imagination and my own brain abilities surpass anything that can be offered. And it is mine, noone can exert control over that.
The thing is, we think extreme when it comes to changing a traditional way of functioning.
AI will over power humans, VR will create borgs and I choose to disagree with this. While I agree that tech could have a severe negative impact on generations ahead (if not steered in the right direction) but what about the positive contributions?
As a kid I was guided on how to use internet. While I explored it on my own terms, the warning was always there in my head. Nobody ever says change your current habits or choices, its more about embracing the new ones.
 

Aytoh1

Joined Nov 15, 2018
1
It's actually the other way around. VR has been in a commercial/enterprise environment for 15 years. I used to work in VR and we were providing systems and applications for education/R&D years before the gaming sector jumped on board.

The main users were in aerospace, oil and gas, employee training. This was way before even Oculus DK1 released in 2013.

I have an Oculus myself that I mainly use for driving simulations/racing and there's definitely more prospects for VR than 3D TV. Completely agree with the point on how we raise our kids with tech. I have a 3 year old and with tablets/phones so intuitive and easy for them to learn it will take a conscious effort to not let the negatives outweigh the positives. That said the world is changing and should be generally seen as a positive and embraced.
 

justtrying

Joined Mar 9, 2011
439
The point is, if all you give your 3 year old is a tablet and VR simulations. The negatives will very quickly outweigh the positives. There are no negative consequences and you cannot die. The real world is a little different.

Here is a very sad example, studies have been done on soldiers and "readiness" to kill... WWI was very different from today where there is no hesitation to shoot at any moving target, just as if it is a video game. Are we not less human already? Remember that most of these advancements are from military in origin.

p.s. i do not believe anyone on this site is against embracing anything new as long as it has merit
 

Aytoh1

Joined Nov 15, 2018
1
I'm with you there - which is why I insist on him camping, playing football, bike riding etc.

Not sure the readiness to kill is strictly down to video games, there's a lot of social and cultural changes from 100 years ago. The barbaric wars of conquest by European powers over the centuries are a thing of the past - the 'efficiency' of a soldier in modern times is basically the same as an athlete getting faster, stronger, fitter than they were 20, 30, 50 years ago. But I digress.

My main point on embracing the new technology is that someone of 50 years old has a completely different outlook (maybe more traditional/conservative) than someone who's 20. An older person may like things just as they are with no reason to change?
 

marcuskeene

Joined Oct 15, 2018
27
My main point on embracing the new technology is that someone of 50 years old has a completely different outlook (maybe more traditional/conservative) than someone who's 20. An older person may like things just as they are with no reason to change?
I think the point majorly was to ascertain whether we need to involve the tech at such a young age?

Its nothing new, we have all been through these phases, where a generation deemed it unnecessary and the newbies felt its the way forward.
There's always an age appropriate for the tech, even movies come with the cautionary. When I say VR could be useful in education, I am not suggesting it for toddlers or primary education. Its not that kids will stay immersed and have a free way to do what ever they wish to. These will be specific courses, lets say architecture, where students can immerse and learn the fundamentals in a creative way. The theory will always be there for them to read later.
Its like reading about micro-organisms in theory and watching them through a microscope have different impact on students.
 

Thread Starter

RacerFlash

Joined Nov 2, 2018
0
Sure, it has the potential to be another level of distraction for people. Very useful for medical treatments like pain management. Maybe kids today have limited imaginations but I don't need a VR headset to create a alternate world in my head. I can do that by just reading a good book.
While I agree that books are a great form of escape, the level of engagement you’ll get from VR is far greater than what words from pages can provide. Why run your imagination when you can actually experience it? This article describes it best:

https://writingcooperative.com/the-...and-storytelling-virtual-reality-38ac56f02258

“Imagine reading Harry Potter and you can virtually visit and explore Hogwarts, meet Harry, Ron, and Hermione, join the training. You can achieve that all from virtual reality..

All this time, we all are just the audiences. But virtual reality will break the rule. We will be inside each frame of a movie, having a presence, freely looking around, connecting with the characters, and soon we will be able to affect the plot of the story.”
 

Thread Starter

RacerFlash

Joined Nov 2, 2018
0
I think the point majorly was to ascertain whether we need to involve the tech at such a young age?

Its nothing new, we have all been through these phases, where a generation deemed it unnecessary and the newbies felt its the way forward.
There's always an age appropriate for the tech, even movies come with the cautionary. When I say VR could be useful in education, I am not suggesting it for toddlers or primary education. Its not that kids will stay immersed and have a free way to do what ever they wish to. These will be specific courses, lets say architecture, where students can immerse and learn the fundamentals in a creative way. The theory will always be there for them to read later.
Its like reading about micro-organisms in theory and watching them through a microscope have different impact on students.
I remember reading a tech article describing millennials as “digital since birth.” And it’s true. Younger generations are more exposed to tech and are more open to change. Technology and children’s exposure will be a never-ending debate, but have we seen a decline in tech usage, not really. Some even argue about how limiting tech use is useless when we are at the digital age and we will only get more high tech from here. Just this past week was pact with developments in Extended Reality (XR)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/charli...-grants-huaweis-ar-glasses-more/#442ac9085785

I think at this point, we simply have to embrace technology.
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
13,087
While I agree that books are a great form of escape, the level of engagement you’ll get from VR is far greater than what words from pages can provide. Why run your imagination when you can actually experience it?
Actually experience it? To me, that's a unlikely possibility with anything close to modern technology.

Books are more than an escape but as an escape they can provide the rich environment of an almost pure mental state. I can read technical books and build in my head complex systems from the concepts presented. Why should I let another provide their unique imagination of what I should see as a excuse for not using my mental capabilities developed from a lifetime of actual experience and engagement? While I see it as very useful in the context of mind/body training and exercise to gain expertise in subjects I can easily see it becoming a shallow mental substitute for actual knowledge much like 'Google' search results from those without expertise on the searched subjects.
 

justtrying

Joined Mar 9, 2011
439
I'm still making up my mind about what actual reality is first.
Completely agree. What I see happening is a bunch of people admiting defeat that they cannot understand actual reality and they will settle in for something they think they can control - virtual reality. Actual reality is scary and uncertain. Plus there appears to be infinitely many iterations of them.

I want my safe space

I wonder what my dogs think about this...
 

marcuskeene

Joined Oct 15, 2018
27
I remember reading a tech article describing millennials as “digital since birth.” And it’s true. Younger generations are more exposed to tech and are more open to change. Technology and children’s exposure will be a never-ending debate, but have we seen a decline in tech usage, not really. Some even argue about how limiting tech use is useless when we are at the digital age and we will only get more high tech from here. Just this past week was pact with developments in Extended Reality (XR)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/charli...-grants-huaweis-ar-glasses-more/#442ac9085785

I think at this point, we simply have to embrace technology.
I agree with this. We can't ignore it no matter how much we try. The impacts and implications can always be discussed and challenges mitigated but to say that technology is bad for us is extreme. Especially in an age when we use technology to voice our opinions. I think we should stop characterizing it and start understanding how to face it.
 
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