Virtual Reality Application and Introduction

Virtual reality application has dominated tech headlines over the last several years for its important power and ability to involve users deeply in a virtual world.

What is VR?

Virtual reality (VR) is a technology in which the virtual environment is placed in front of the user’s eyes and the user interacts with the virtual environment based on the movement of his or her head and body.

In other words, when we install a virtual reality headset on our head, we see a world in front of our eyes that changes according to the position of our body and after a while, our mind accepts it as a real-world, not a virtual one.

A virtual reality environment in the VR headset is created by its special applications. Some of these environments are computer-generated and 3D, and others are 360-degree videos or images of real environments that have already been filmed.

By studying virtual reality applications, you can find out how important a role this technology plays in the lives of users:

VR Applications

Military

UK and US military have both used virtual reality in all branches of service, in their training, to take on a massive range of simulations. By VR, the soldiers experience various situations, sites, environments to learn the assigned tasks with lower costs.

Non-commercial versions of games like Virtual Battlespace 2 and Unity 3D are used to prepare and train more troops before the battle.

Sport

Virtual reality applications in the sports industry have been a very effective tool for both players and viewers. It provides a great environment to aid training and help assess and analyze the performance of players and athletes. For viewers, VR has helped increase the quality and experience of live games and events.

Healthcare

The healthcare industry with its institutions using computer imaging to diagnose and treat diseases is one of the biggest users of virtual reality technology. Virtual reality simulations, such as those produced by Surgical Theater and Conquer Mobile software companies, can produce accurate and exact diagnostic images from scans and 3D models of patients’ anatomy. Virtual models help new and experienced surgeons and physicians to provide the safest and most effective way to locate tumors, place surgical instruments in the right place, or enable the practice and testing of sophisticated treatments and surgical procedures.

Astronomy

These days, NASA scientists have a tough mission – to search for life on other planets. That’s why they are looking for virtual reality technology to control robots on Mars and find precise, low-risk ways for astronauts. At NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, researchers have paired the Oculus Rift headset with Kinect 2 and Xbox One motion sensors to control a robotic arm with operator hand movements. In the not too distant future, the technology could be used to control Mars rovers or other instruments millions of miles away.

Automobile Manufacturing

From the design process to the virtual prototypes, automakers have been using technological simulations for decades. For instance, using Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, Ford Motor Company has developed a virtual reality center for the development of self-driving cars.

Education

The automotive industry is not just a virtual reality application for design purposes; Toyota also uses Oculus virtual reality headsets as part of its TeenDrive365 campaign to educate teens and their parents about risky driving. Applications like Unimersiv and Cerevrum are examples of online virtual reality training tools.

Virtual reality has also been used in education for teaching and learning situations. This technology enables students to interact with each other and within a 3D environment. By VR, the teachers take their students to virtual field trips, like museums, or solar system.

Tourism

One of the important examples of virtual reality applications is in tourism so that the high quality 360° photos and videos taken from important tourist sites can be viewed by people thousands of kilometers away using virtual reality headsets as if they were there. And they can move anywhere they want.

Courts

The two-dimensional images may not be enough tools for evaluating crime scenes for judges. Seeing a crime scene in 3D can help judges visualize what people and objects were like.

Types of Virtual Reality Glasses

We can divide Virtual Reality headsets into two types, depending on the type of their function. The first type of headsets use their own special screens to display the image, and the second type is those that use the mobile screen to display the image.

As mobile phones that are capable of processing and displaying augmented reality applications are already growing, so headsets that work on this basis are much more welcomed. Currently, most virtual reality headsets in the global markets are based on smartphones, so they are much cheaper than the first type headsets.

Best VR Headsets for 2019

Here you can see the best Virtual Reality headsets introduced by PCMag that reviews products independently

Oculus Quest; $399.00

The Oculus Quest VR headset combines a wire-free experience with six-degrees-of-freedom motion tracking and two controllers, all without the need for a separate computer to use it.

Nintendo Labo VR Kit; $79.00

The Nintendo Labo VR Kit turns your Switch into a simple VR headset for playing a variety of mini-games, including ones you can create yourself.

Sony PlayStation VR; $267.79

The Sony PlayStation VR headset brings powerful, compelling virtual reality, with motion control support, to the PlayStation 4.

HTC Vive; Best Price

The HTC Vive is a comprehensive PC-tethered virtual reality system that supports both motion controls and whole-room VR.

Oculus Go; $199.00

The Oculus Go is an affordable, comfortable standalone virtual reality headset that lets you try out VR without making a big investment in hardware.

Oculus Rift S; $399.00

The Oculus Rift S improves on the previous Rift headset with a sharper screen and a camera array that doesn’t require external sensors.

HTC Vive Cosmos; $699.99

The HTC Vive Cosmos VR headset is a technically impressive improvement on the original Vive, but it’s very expensive and you still have to deal with a cable.

Lenovo Mirage Solo With Daydream; $299.89

The Lenovo Mirage Solo is a standalone Daydream-based virtual reality headset with a high price tag that isn’t quite in line with its performance.