Fooling your mind into
believing something awesome
Imagine
you’re in a swamp in the middle of nowhere. All that your eyes can see are
trees accompanied by the sound of animals. Suddenly you realized that you have
a torch in your hand. Turn it on, quickly. Monkeys in the trees, frogs trotting
near your feet, the tropical swamp is certainly a thing of beauty, isn’t it? But
wait -the torch you were holding now feels more like a remote. Also there is
something wrapped around your eyes and ears! Well, that’s just a headset which
just means you’re not so far away from home, are you? You just experienced the
swamp from your home. You just had a truly immersive and interactive experience
whilst sitting on your couch. You just experienced Virtual Reality.
Virtual Reality (VR) is using computer technology to create a complete
360 degree immersive experience for the user by using headsets which generate a
realistic or animated simulation.
According to a report by Greenlight Insights this multi-billion dollar
industry is worth $7 Billion as of today and expected to be around $70 Billion
by 2021. Such potential for substantial growth may surprise you. Well with players
such as Google, Facebook, Nintendo, Sony, HTC etc.involved in this industry,are
you still surprised?
You might wonder when you will have that first VR experience. What if I
told you that you already have experienced something similar? Remember the
View-Master – the gadget that looked like a camera and had two viewing holes?
You used to put a reel of colored pictures and scroll through them.That is VR –
in the Medieval Ages.
The concept of panoramic paintings dates back to the 1800s and the
invention and usage of the stereoscopic camera has been in use since the
early-mid 1900s. Both these factors form a part of the 360 degree viewing
experience which is associated with Virtual Reality. Let’s not get into
technicalities (don’t know much myself).
VR has found its way into various industries with gaming being the
biggest one. Just imagine being Harry Potter and swinging that wand (remote)
and shouting Expelliarmus – soon to be a reality with headsets like Oculus Rift
& Google Daydream. These headsets will provide a completely immersive and
interactive gaming experiences for users. Virtual Reality has already started a
gaming revolution with many top game manufacturers like Ubisoft, Epic Games,
Resolution etc. Apart from this the headset manufacturers are also developing
games and other interactive experiences exclusive to their headsets (the swamp
story at the start is an experience provided by Google’s Daydream projects)
Entertainment industry is another huge avenue where various VR developers
are interested in exploring. Some producers of TV and Movie are releasing the
exclusive 360 degree footage of making and outtakes across the web,
specifically YouTube. A famous 360 degree video is made of the making of the
Aamir Khan blockbuster – Dangal. This seems like the best way to archive and
relive the experience later.
Also one of the largest content creation for Virtual Reality is…..well
the adult film industry. This industry has mastered the various aspects
involved in shooting their films using 360 degree cameras.
Archiving of live events and concerts can also be considered. One would
love to relive the experience of watching a Zakir Hussain concert 10 years later
or reliving the city of Pune of today in 2025.
VR can also be used for more than gaming and entertainment. Consider
using VR to create simulations to train military personnel in mastering various
situations. Various medical procedures could be practiced by students. VR could
help in creating animations to make construction or architecture easier.
Do you remember when the teacher used to show a picture of the Thar Desert?
Oh, black and white photo to be more precise. Wouldn’t it have been cool if you
could actually experience what the sand actually looks like? How about actually
being able to see the source of the Ganga or the actually place where the Salt
Act was broken.
There is only so much technology can do, isn’t it? Maybe it could just do
a whole lot more than you think. Don’t just see it, experience it!
No comments:
Post a Comment