Uses of Virtual Reality – The Concept
In this article, I would not discuss individual use of virtual reality. I would rather discuss the concept about uses of virtual reality.
By broad definition, virtual reality is simulating a complete environment near the users. This environment could resemble an already existing physical environment or an imaginary one. I have discussed detailed concept of virtual reality in my other article, hence won’t go into details here.
The basic element of virtual reality is visualization and it can extend to much more complex uses. If we consider for a while, we use visualization for most of our computer-based applications. In other words, visualization forms basic part of any computer application.
Presently, computer-based visualization has been quite different from real visualization. For example, in the real world, we visualize shopping malls, whereas, on computers, we visualize a portal selling products. In the real world, we can inspect a product placed in a shop, on computers, we visualize it through images and videos. In short, there has been quite some difference between visualization on computers and the real world.
Virtual Reality bridges the gap between computer visualization and the actual one. Through simulation possibilities, virtual reality brings the environment similar to the actual one, close to users. Without visiting a real property, users can feel the same experience of being into that property while remaining at their places.
Before going into further capabilities of virtual reality, I would discuss why it is important to create a simulated environment. A simulated environment suitable to the theme of application brings users closer to the concept of the application. For example, creating an environment of book shops makes it easy for users to buy books. Users find themselves much more habitual of buying books by picking them from shelves, opening them and reading a few pages. Through virtual reality, we simulate all this. Same is the case with many other online purchases we do today. Through virtual reality, we can inspect the products closely, as we do in the real world. As we discuss the advanced capabilities of virtual reality, we would discuss what more we can do with it.
Simulating a suitable environment creates better options on cognitive grounds. We can remember things by seeing, reading or hearing. But the best option is by experiencing things. Through virtual reality, we can not only see, read or hear about things, but we can also experience them. For example, while learning about working of an engine, we can see videos, images or read about it. But the best would be to interact with the engine if it is really available to us. If we can open the engine part by part and experience the working of each part, we would learn and remember the most. By virtual reality, we can do it.
There are endless examples for uses of virtual reality. But since we are discussing only the concept here, we can summarise that through virtual reality, we create a suitable visualization and experience to perform something we intend on computer platforms.
Coming to advanced usages of virtual reality, I would summarise it briefly by saying that all sorts of computing powers of software and hardware are available behind virtual reality. Whatever we can do on native platforms, we can do similar with virtual reality, adding a suitable visualization and interactive environment to it.
If there were no radios or transistors, we would have only read about a cricket match. Television allows us to watch the match live. Virtual reality takes us to the stadium and watch the match live, while we are still at our places. In addition, we can touch players, know any amount of their details, analyse the match live, access any amount of data, or even transport ourselves into the playing ground and play along with the players or other online users. With virtual reality, possibilities are just limited to the limits of imagination.
Welcome to Virtual Reality.