Virtual Reality has become a worldwide phenomenon in the last few years.
They are mostly being used in videogames, making the experience of fighting a monster or riding a rollercoaster much more realistic for the user.
The devices have only just gotten affordable enough to become a household item, and most gaming fans are thrilled that Virtual Reality adds another dimension to the gameplay.

But did you know that Virtual Reality can actually be used for many different scientific and educational purposes as well?

I have already written a post about the applications of virtual reality in psychologic therapy - VR has the ability to treat patients with mental illnesses or traumas with ways that have never existed before.
Apart from these benefits, there are a lot more applications where Virtual Reality could be put to good use!

1) Medical Care

Technology has come a long way in medical care - but what if you could use virtual reality to see inside your patients, without any other monitors or 3rd party devices?

Cambridge Consultants, a design and development firm has just released an Augemented Reality Surgical System that enables the surgeon with X-Ray Vision.

The HoloLens VR system is being used to offer the surgeon a real-time view inside the patient, allowing him to operate through minimal openings.

"Minimally invasive surgery – so-called keyhole surgery – is often complex yet performed through tiny incisions instead of one large opening. The next-generation AR system provides a real-time 3D interactive perspective of the inside of the patient, accurately guiding the surgeon in ways not previously possible. AR has the potential to fundamentally change the surgical experience by giving the surgeon a new dimension of information in an easy-to-use way. While today’s platforms still need to mature before they are ready for clinical deployment, it is clear to us that the underlying technology holds great promise for critical applications like surgery."

-Cambridge Consultants

Also, VR could be used as an educational tool to show PhD students the experience of a surgery and give them the opportunity to learn from a real procedure.

About 1 year ago, Dr. Shafi Ahmed became the first Doctor to perform a surgery while wearing virtual reality glasses and broadcasting the whole experience live.
Over 5,000 people watched the livestream of a tumor removal!

2) Education

Virtual Reality could become a huge factor in Education within the next few years.
Everyone knows that learning something visually or even better, experiencing it yourself, aids the learning process and helps students to memorize things better.
So of course, learning something with the help of VR will be much more exciting than just reading or even watching a video about it!
Imagine how traditionally "boring" subjects like chemistry or physics could be much more exciting and interactive with the use of VR technology.
Also, it could be used to virtually travel to a country you're learning about, for example to experience the language and culture first-hand.

3) Engineering and Architecture

Visualization is everything for engineers and architects. They have to imagine their construction in 3D, think about possible weak spots and solutions etc.
Using VR during this process will not only help the engineer to perfect the vision of his product, but also benefit the customers who can experience the final product in VR instead of just looking at drawings or computer renderings.
Several startups are already working on VR apps to train young engineers and architects, and to help them visualize their creations.

4) Museums

Shocking statistics have shown that Millenials are getting less interested in Museums.
So some Museums like the Museum of National History or the British Museum have adapted to the current technology standard - with a huge success.
VR and AR (Augmented Reality) is ideal for historic museums, where you have to imagine the lifestyle in different eras.
Just imagine looking at some historic documents and drawings from the pyramids in ancient Egypt, and then putting on your VR glasses and standing right in front of the pyramids of Gizeh!

5) Space Technology

Preparing an astronaut to go to space is a very challenging task. It's something you can't really imagine - so VR is ideal to help them get used to the life in space and the tasks they're going to perform there.
Another aspect is using VR to control robotics that will perform potentially dangerous tasks in space.
For example, the NASA is using the Oculus Rift VR system to control a robotic arm and train with it for future missions.

Which of these applications are you most excited about? Are there other ways Virtual Reality could be used?

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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