Virtual Reality: Another World Within Sight

When we talk about Virtual Reality (VR), most of us think of science fiction films like ‘Minority Report’. The fact is, however, that nowadays, these technologies fully integrates into our daily lives. Movie games, medicine, learning … Virtual Reality is here to stay. But what exactly is it?

What is Virtual Reality?

Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer-generated environment with scenes and virtual reality, making the user feel immersed in their environment. This area detects by a device known as a Virtual Reality headset or a helmet. VR permits us to submerge ourselves in video games as if we were one of the fonts, study heart surgery, or improve the quality of sports training to increase performance.

While this may seem like an extreme future, its origins are not as recent as we can imagine. In fact, many people consider that one of the first Virtual Reality devices to call Sensorama, a machine with a built-in seat that plays 3D movies, emitted ascent, and made the vibration to make the experience as vivid as possible. This invention dates back to the mid-1950s. Subsequent advances in technology and software in the years that followed brought about the emergence of both devices and interface design.

Differences with Augmented Reality:

Although it is a technology that started decades ago, many people are not yet familiar with the concept of Virtual Reality. It is also common to confuse the word Virtual Reality with the augmented reality.

The big difference between this is that VR creates a world where we immerse ourselves in certain headsets. It completely immerses and all we see is part of a space made with images, sounds, etc. On the other hand, in augmented reality, our world develops the framework within which objects, pictures, or similar are placed. Everything we see is in a real place and may not strictly require to install of a headset. The most obvious and common example of this concept is the Pokémon Go.

However, there is also a mixture of both realities called mixed reality. These hybrid technologies make it possible. For example, to visualize objects in the real world and to create an experience where the physical and digital are almost indistinguishable.

Main Application of Virtual Reality

Enough with a vision for the future. What fields of Virtual Reality actually use today? Medicine, culture, education, and architecture are some of the areas that have used this technology. From museum guided tours to muscle splitting, VR allows us to cross unimaginable boundaries.

The Future of Virtual Reality:

Virtual Reality is one of the most powerful technologies of growth. According to the latest forecasts from IDC Research, investments in VR and AR will double by 21 fold over the next four years, reaching 15.5 billion euros by 2022. Besides, both technologies will be key to the company’s digital transformation plans. Their spending in this area will exceed that of the consumer sector by 2021. Therefore, it is expected that by 2022 more than half of Europe’s major companies will have VR and RA plans.

Nowadays, the market is looking for applications that go beyond leisure, tourism, or marketing and are less expensive for users. Visual communication systems also need to improve to prevent deformities such as amputations, which make certain solid objects appear more likely to pass. Or to reduce the effects of VR on humans, among them a debilitating illness, which includes dizziness causes a difference in the movement of our body and what see in the visible world.

Major technology companies are already working to make headsets that do not require cables and allow images to display in HD. They are upgrading VR headsets to 8K and with more powerful processors. There is also talk that in the next few years they can integrate Artificial Intelligence. The latest 5G standard also can provide the most exciting VR emerging scenarios. This standard will allow multiple devices and larger user communities to connect. Besides, its almost invisible latency will enable consumers to get images in real-time, almost as if they could see them with their own eyes.

This entire means that Virtual Reality is no longer science fiction. It integrates with our present time and, in the years to come, will lead to developments that will shape the future.