When we talk about virtual reality we will surely think of science fiction movies about distant futures, however, this is now a reality that has come to stay and promote different fields of our daily lives such as medicine, education and entertainment. But, what does this new advance in technology consist of?

First, we must start by knowing what virtual reality is. The RAE defines virtual reality as a representation of scenes or images of objects produced by a computer system, which gives the sensation of its real existence (Real Academia Española – RAE). In other words, virtual reality generates new simulated environments that give the user the feeling of being physically there, a unique immersive experience.

However, to do this perceptible for the user, it needs the support of complementary devices such as glasses or special helmets to achieve a 100% immersive experience.

These devices fulfill the function of isolating the user from the environment that surrounds him and extend the visual field to make it appear that the screen is around him, giving a 360-degree visual sensation.

Imagine being able to participate in a video game as your favorite character, visit a country you didn’t know or attend a concert by your favorite artist and all without leaving your home. This is now possible thanks to virtual reality.

¿How Virtual Reality (VR) works?

As we mentioned before, this technology is only perceptible to the user through the use of special devices (glasses or helmets), which work through the integration of various technologies. This system is made up of two screens in which the user can see a sequence of different images or videos in each eye. This allows the user to perceive this new environment as a three-dimensional space.

Additionally, this type of device has sensors that react to the user’s movements. This allows us to recreate each of our movements in this virtual world.

Sensorama. ¿The origin of Virtual Reality?

It is believed that everything originates between the year 1960 or 1962 with the launch of a multi-sensory simulator called Sensorama, created by Morton Heilig. The prototype consisted of a pre-recorded movie, which was complemented by a binaural sound, with smell and wind, as well as vibration added in the spectator’s seat, which increased the sensation of immersiveness.

This gave rise to a series of new prototypes developed in subsequent years, which, thanks to advances of technology, bring us to what we know today.

¿What benefits or applications does Virtual Reality bring to our lives?

There are many applications that this technology has in different fields, here we mention some:

Education.

The benefits of virtual reality in the classroom apply to children and young people of all ages. This technology improves knowledge retention and even helps students with learning difficulties.

Now, childrens will be able to explore different parts of the world, ecosystems, oceans, all without leaving the classroom. It will also help many college students deepen their knowledge in fields such as science, medicine, and robotics.

Entertainment.

Thanks to virtual reality, many users around the world can now access different video games as a simulated character or even attend concerts by their favorite artists without leaving their home, in an immersive experience that allows them to move in different stages. This last functionality, will be one of the features that we have been developing in Pentagrama.io.

Medicine.

Another of the interesting applications of virtual reality in modern life is the teaching of medicine, now students can learn more about the human body without waiting to do their practices. Also, it is possible to simulate different surgical procedures, reducing costs and improving the learning experience.

Additionally, various studies by the Higher Center for Scientific Research (CSIC) have shown that it is possible to reduce the effects of Parkinson’s through Virtual Reality treatments.

Tourism.

Currently, there are many buildings and museums that include within their services the possibility of virtual tours, which allow the user to enjoy the different historical works and monuments.

Among the many museums that have joined this new experience, we can highlight the Prado Museum (Madrid), the Louvre Museum (Paris), the British Museum (London), among others.

Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality. ¿What is the difference?

These two terms are often confused, since they seem very similar concepts, but they differ in several characteristics.

Augmented reality uses the real environment by adding different objects or characters that are displayed on the screen, for this reason, the use of accessories such as glasses or helmets is not necessary. A well-known example is the Pokemon Go app.

Otherwise, virtual reality focuses on generating more advanced and immersive experiences, which even provide freedom of movement. These require the use of manual controllers to improve sensations. It is a much more immersive artificial environment, created from a computer through the use of images and sounds.

In summary, the main difference between virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) is in the level of immersion that each one offers us.

¿What can we expected in the future with virtual reality?

As has already happened with other technological devices, such as the mobile phone, we expected that in the near future many people will have virtual reality glasses at home and in this way we will be able to access new services of all kinds that allow us to improve the way we interact with the digital world.

This is precisely the reason why virtual reality is one of the technologies with the best growth projections in the market. This is due to the great benefits and multiple fields of application that it has, making it one of the keys to digital transformation in the coming years.

And it is that currently, the market demands increasingly immersive applications in different sectors, with higher quality virtual interfaces. For this reason, many technology companies are developing new prototypes of glasses that work without cables and allow the transmission of images in high definition.

In any case, virtual reality has come into our lives to stay and improve the way we do our daily activities.