The disruptive power of Augmented & Virtual Reality
Join us at the third SingularityU Germany Summit conference in June 2018 and learn more about Virtual & Augmented Reality.
Medicine — How Virtual Reality is helping Paraplegics to walk again
We all remember the unforgettable moment when 29-year-old Juliano Pinto, who was completely paralyzed below the chest, kicked off the opening match at the FIFA World Cup in 2014. This was only possible with the help of a exoskeleton, a brain-machine interface (BMI) that allowed Pinto to do the symbolic kickoff in Sao Paolo.
This was all made possible by a nonprofit international research organization named Walk Again Project (WAP). Four years later they are now using virtual reality to help paraplegic people regain partial sensation and muscle control in their lower limbs. The brains of the patients who participated in the study didn’t show any signs of activity when they were told to imagine walking again. Through continuous help of Virtual Reality (VR) patients were first placed in virtual environment, where they learned to use brain activity to control an avatar version of themselves and make it walk around. This helped the brain regain the notion of walking and after a while patients were given their own custom-made exoskeleton. Through this procedure and continuous practice all patients were able to revive their remaining nerves to send signals back to the brain, and reactivate some voluntary movement and sensitivity.
Manufacturing Industry — Augmented Reality disrupting the process
Using Augmented Reality (AR) can be extremely useful for remote assistance, connecting different people from around the world in a live-view to help solve problems together. Apart from utilizing a live view AR allows companies to virtually create and test situations before they are actually tested in the real world. Simulating the product-creation phase helps cut down on manufacturing time and ensure the manufacturing process delivers what companies intended to create.
Education Industry — from books to real live learning experiences
We already know of the great potential VR has to disrupt the entertainment and gaming industry. But all of the perks these technologies have, can immensely shape how kids learn today. Imagine them not only reading about geography or biology but actually being able to immerse themselves in an interactive environment. This would not only bring about a higher level of information and retention of that information but also higher engagement and fun learning about new things. This is exactly what already existing VR education programs do. A trip into outer space, to the jungle to study the behavior of monkeys or a visit to a museum on the other side of the country — all made possible by VR which can simulate all of these above.
The above examples are just a glimpse of the immense possibilities AR and VR potentially have and how they will increasingly disrupt industries from medicine to education.
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Aaron Frank is a writer and speaker and one of the earliest hires at Singularity University. Aaron is focused on the intersection of emerging technologies and accelerating change and is fascinated by the impact that both will have on business, society, and culture. As a writer, his articles have appeared online in Vice’s Motherboard, Wired UK and Forbes. As a speaker, Aaron has lectured for audiences and organizations including the CIA, The Department of Defense, The Coca-Cola Company, AAAS, Under Armour, Headquarters Air Force and more. He will be speaking about Virtual & Augmented Reality at the Summit on June 4 & 5 in Berlin!
