Wednesday, March 27, 2024

10 Interesting Facts About Virtual Reality

There is something new about virtual reality circulating every other day – starting from a commercial to a product launch. Web design also plays an important role in it.

Though there is so much buzz surrounding this technology, people still don’t know much about it. Do you know when and how it all started? Let’s review some facts:

1: The First-Ever VR Headset Came in the 1960s

It was called the Telesphere Mask, and Morton Heilig invented it. It featured stereoscopic 3D TV, true stereo sound and wide vision. It was VR head-mounted display featuring a large booth that could fit 4 people at the same time.

2: VR Isn’t All About Entertainment

When you first hear of VR, what comes to your mind? Probably gaming and entertainment. VR has other applications too. For instance, it’s dominating the healthcare industry by bringing treatments for anxiety, depression, PTSD, autism and even nicotine addiction!

3: Giant Brands are Investing in Virtual Reality

Did you know that 75% of the most valuable brands worldwide have some share in creating the VR and AR experience? Most of these giant brands are developing these technologies for themselves. This percentage could be rising.

4: It’s Not as Expensive as You Think!

Everyone generally believes that virtual reality is expensive to produce. No doubt, virtual reality can be costly, it doesn’t have to be expensive.

Like most things, the price depends on the scope of the project. Companies have already spent thousands of dollars of investment in this technology. There are ventures such as YouVisit that can create a tailored VR experience for you with a cost ranging in low to mid-five figure.

5: The Term Virtual Reality Was Coined in the 80s

It was 1987 when term virtual reality was coined by Jaron Lanier, an author and programmer who is also called the father of VR.

6: VR Cannot Replace Real Life

When you wear the VR headset, it takes you to another dimension. Everything feels so realistic. You will feel as if you are visiting a location or participating in the activity in real-time. But it’s almost real. VR is not meant to replace real-life experiences, instead, it’s designed to enhance it.

The best example of that is the use of virtual reality in the travel industry. People use VR as a research tool to glimpse the experience of a new hotel or destination.

7: The U.S. Government is a Huge Fan of VR

The US military, as well as NASA are heavily investing in VR. NAS is using this technology for connecting engineers with devices in the outer space. The engineers are using Oculus and Xbox one gaming console for that.

The military is using virtual reality for recruiting and training its soldiers before they are deployed in the field. Simulated scenarios are used for providing opportunities to teams for working together. An environment similar to real-life experience is created to prepare the soldiers for the chaos of combat.

8: No Single Person Invented Virtual Reality

It’s hard to point a single person responsible for creating VR. Many people have collectively contributed to its growth. There are at least five people involved in the invention of this technology. Their names are Myron Krueger, Jaron Lanier, Ivan Sutherland, Morton Heilig and Douglas Engelbart.

9: Google Cardboard was an Off-Project

The Google cardboard platform developed by Damien Henry and David Coz was a side project. It was a part of the “innovation time off” program by Google. This program encourages engineers to spend 20% of their time working on projects they find interesting. Google liked this project and backed it up. Now, it’s considered a cornerstone in the scalability of VR.

10: Demand for VR Devices

It’s projected that the demand for standalone VR devices will increase over 16 times between 2018 and 2022. 

These facts are interesting, aren’t they!