Fantasy and reality blend seamlessly in the fascinating world of VR

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World AI

5 min readFeb 18, 2020

Virtual Reality or VR has been over 45 years in the making. In fact, the head-mounted VR system made its debut appearance in the 1960s, a long way from what it is now, which is the most revolutionary technological invention since mobile phones. Its appeal extends far beyond just ultra-cool video games to being a force to reckon with in any industry. From entertainment where it offers a sensory experience that is unmatched by allowing one to actually be part of a new world, or even lets them be a character, to education where it can open whole new worlds to students without them even leaving their seats, everything else pales in comparison to its offerings. And as it slowly becomes an essential part of our lives, it will have a sociological impact that will change the way we exist.

Making its presence felt, literally…

Disruption has become the most avant-garde quality for a brand or service today, and VR has been pegged to be the biggest disruptor in the market. However, Peter Rubin, author of Future Presence: How Virtual Reality is Changing Human Connection, Intimacy, and the Limits of Ordinary Life, writes that disruption is far from being considered VR’s biggest advantage. More than disruption, VR is defined by ‘presence’. This, he believes, is its real foundation. He describes presence as the phenomena that occurs when your brain is completely fooled by a virtual experience to the extent that it cannot tell that it’s not real but responds as if it were. This could mean getting goosebumps standing in a vast stadium or even sweating with fear if one finds oneself in a scary virtual space.

Over time…

The journey has been nothing short of spectacular. The first virtual reality system featured multiple people who entered a virtual world at the same time as avatars. In 2014, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed an audience impressing upon them the wonders of a virtual reality headset called the Rift, created by a young start-up called Oculus, whose mission according to its founder Palmer Luckey, was “To finally make virtual reality happen!” Zuckerberg acquired this company for $3 billion, describing the technology as “unbelievable”.

In 2016, the Miami-based chief of cardiovascular surgery, Dr. Redmond Burke, was determined to save the life of a child whose case was deemed hopeless on account of the fact that she was missing a lung and almost half a heart. When the 3-D printer they were using to make a model of the child’s heart broke they turned to virtual reality. Looking at 3-D images through a Google Cardboard device, Burke discovered it could allow him to move around and clearly see every angle of her heart, and in this way determine how to fix it, going on to save her life.

The present day…

Circa 2020, a lot of frontiers seem to have felt its impact. Take for instance, Aerobanquets RMX in New York, which uses VR to elevate the normal act of eating to a theatrical, performance element by offering a ‘meal’ of seven bite-sized courses to participants whose eyes are covered by Oculus headsets. Algorithms render images based on the textures and flavours of each bite, which appear to digitally float on to the screens and are then paired with images that are projected on it. Grand Hyatt, Mumbai offers a similar experience with La Petit Chef, an immersive two-hour culinary extravaganza. Delhi Zoo has plans in place to offer this technology in an attempt to allow visitors to see the animals up-close without harming or scaring them. Retail giant Dior was the first to bring out a luxury headset while Christie’s auctioned off an ‘Edmond de Belamy’ canvas print produced using Artificial Intelligence for a jaw-dropping $432,500. BMW will soon incorporate the technology into the windscreens with augmented reality displays to issue warnings and traffic updates. From providing simulations of surgery procedures to revolutionising training methods for medical professionals, VR is creating waves in the field of healthcare.

The writing’s on the glass

As for the future? It’s set to be more frenzied, more revolutionary, more encompassing and more immersive in the years to come. But while we’re clearly moving towards a future of mixed reality, and experts liken it to walking about literally wearing our computers, there are challenges that cannot be overlooked. Steep price points and making it accessible is a big concern. Content is another red flag given that this is often a make-or-break factor for many brands. Companies will need to make the right education investment to impart a thorough understanding of the technology. The other issue that arises is whether being confined to a box can hamper actual human connections when we’re presented with the opportunity of having to, instead, deal with virtual versions of people we know. Will the illusion of living in a magical, alternative reality match up to the expectations? Maybe the answer to this lies within where we each take the onus of ensuring we are not plugged in at all times. But while companies continue to pump in enormous amounts of money in exploring VR, Rubin firmly believes that we’re headed toward a cultural shift that could be even bigger than smartphones, and he paints a vivid picture when he writes,

If all these avenues of progress and research pan out, then we’re talking about much more than that ideal, lightweight pair of glasses. We’re talking about a computing system that’s the stuff of science-fiction legend.