Field: VR
OpenBCI’s new VR headset reacts to your brain and body
OpenBCI is reshaping the relationship between humans and the virtual world with Galea Beta, a headset that measures the body and brain.
Why Apple won’t call the Vision Pro “virtual reality”
Apple has forbidden developers from using "VR," "AR," or "MR" to describe their Vision Pro apps. That’s a mistake.
Tech hacks the nervous system to bring touch to virtual reality
Afference's Phantom conducts electrical signals through nerves in the fingers to convince your brain it feels objects in virtual spaces.
6 tech trends at CES 2024 that are shaping the future
From AI to health and the metaverse, these tech trends promise to change our lives long after the excitement of the newest TV wears off.
Space Force pays Microsoft $20 million for a space simulator
Microsoft is building an advanced space simulator for the US Space Force so that its members can train in VR.
We tested the most advanced haptic gloves in the world
HaptX's new technology uses tactile and force feedback to allow people to "feel" virtual objects with high fidelity.
Apple’s $3500 mixed reality headset hits stores February 2
Apple has announced a February 2, 2024, release date for its highly anticipated mixed reality headset, Vision Pro.
Brain stimulation could boost learning
Noninvasive brain stimulation while a person learns a new task in VR can improve their performance in the “real world.”
Scientists tweak Meta VR headset to measure brain activity
A modified VR headset that records brain activity reveals how being immersed in VR impacts people on a neurological level.
Listening to the right tunes can prevent motion sickness in VR
Playing “joyful” music can reduce the symptoms of cybersickness from VR, according to a small study out of Scotland.
“Relationships 5.0”: Are people going to start dating AI?
Online dating is so mainstream that you’re an outlier if you haven’t met your partner on an app — so why not AI?
Why 2023 will be “the year of mixed reality”
Mixed reality, in which immersive virtual content is seamlessly combined with our physical world, is set to transform the world.
Medical robot to treat injured soldiers on the battlefield
A VR-controlled medical triage robot is being built to help trained techs attend to injured soldiers on the battlefield.
New VR app lets you step inside your smartphone videos
Early-stage startup Wist Labs is developing a VR app that converts smartphone clips into 3D videos users can step inside.
Meta unveils new VR headset for work in the metaverse
Connect 2022 brought Meta’s vision of the future of work into sharper focus, with the reveal of a new headset, a major partnership, and more.
Six benefits that the metaverse offers to colleges and universities
Colleges and universities are keen to jump on the metaverse bandwagon, even before knowing what the metaverse really is.
VR exposure therapy app lets you face phobias on your own terms
Exposure therapy is a reliable technique for overcoming irrational fears, but it currently suffers high patient dropout rates.
Google has not created sentient AI — yet
Google can make AI seem sentient, but the AI has no understanding of what it is saying. But humans are easily fooled by conversational AI.
Augmented reality will give us superpowers
Virtual and augmented reality have had false starts, but AR eyewear will soon replace the smartphone as our interface for digital content.
Metaverse real estate prices are booming. This is why.
People are paying millions of dollars to buy plots of pixellated land in virtual worlds, even though they doesn’t fully exist yet.
4 things you need to know about the metaverse
Technology that merges the virtual and physical worlds could start to become a reality for consumers in just a few years.
Web 3.0 vs. the metaverse: What’s the difference?
Web 3.0 and the metaverse both describe the internet of the future, but they aren’t the same thing — this is your guide to each.
Diminished reality flips the script on AR
Fittingbox’s Frame Removal uses diminished reality to help people pick out new eyeglasses — but the tech’s potential extends far beyond the bridge of your nose.
World-class choir performs advent carols in VR
The Church of England is releasing performances of advent carols in virtual reality to bring Christmastime to social-distancing parishioners.
We can now explore Meta’s first virtual world
Meta (formerly Facebook) has opened up access to Horizon Worlds, its virtual world for the metaverse, to all adults in the U.S. and Canada.
VR shows parents what will happen in their baby’s surgery
A U.K. hospital is using VR to help parents see the potential impact skull-reshaping surgery could have on their baby’s appearance.
Immersive technology will revolutionize our daily life
Extended reality technologies are quickly becoming better and cheaper, suggesting they may soon become part of daily life.
Nike is betting you'll want to wear Air Jordans in the metaverse
Nike is laying the groundwork to begin selling digital goods in the metaverse, joining what could soon be a multibillion dollar economy.
These hologram machines bring us a step closer to our sci-fi dreams
There are 100 of these hologram booths currently located all around the world from Abu Dhabi to Miami.
Decentraland announces the Metaverse Festival
Virtual reality (VR) platform Decentraland is hosting a four-day long Metaverse Festival, with headliners Deadmau5 and Paris Hilton.
Robot avatar safely trims trees around active power lines
A robot avatar that mimics the motions of a human controller could take the place of workers in dangerous jobs by the end of 2022.
Here’s what we just learned about Apple’s AR/VR headset
New details about custom AR/VR chips point to realities of Apple’s long-awaited headset.
Facebook’s smart glasses are stylish and creepy
Facebook and Ray-Ban have released a new line of smart glasses that can take photos, answer phone calls, and play music and podcasts.
VR spacewalk will let you see what ISS astronauts see
A VR spacewalk filmed by an “outer space camera” will be the centerpiece of the next episode of Space Explorers: The ISS Experience.
Facebook wants your next meeting to take place in its new VR app
Horizon Workrooms is Facebook’s attempt to bring the corporate world into the metaverse.
The 2021 Disney Accelerator sheds light on Disney’s metaverse ambitions
From AI to AR to live video shopping: these are the 8 companies selected for the Disney’s yearly accelerator program.
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Hard Reset
What will the Disneyland of the future look like?
VR theme park experiences are adding a new dimension to an industry that’s long relied on 20th-century technology.
VR aromatherapy might be coming to a headset near you
VR smell can be used to improve immersion—and possibly even mental health.
World’s first VR opera to open in London
“Current, Rising,” the world’s first VR opera, promises to immerse audiences in a “hyper-reality” made possible by technology.
Controversial police killings are being recreated in VR
Virtual reality simulations of controversial police killings of Black Americans are being included in a police training program.
Simulated walking is a big step forward for VR accessibility
Researchers in Japan have developed a system that makes your brain think you're walking — even when you're sitting still.
Making VR more accessible for the hearing impaired
In his latest project, Myles de Bastion shows how VR accessibility could be extended to the hearing-impaired in remote settings through ‘environmental captioning’ and sign language.
Rec Room is VR’s first ‘unicorn’ startup. Who are they and what makes them special?
An emphasis on community and user-generated content has driven success for the game-based virtual world.
Can VR help formerly incarcerated individuals return to the job force?
Goodwill and Accenture have teamed up to create “Project Overcome,” a VR experience that simulates the job-seeking process in hopes of curtailing recidivism.
YouTuber builds VR gloves for just $22
YouTuber Lucas VRTech developed a pair of open source, finger-tracking VR gloves that cost just $22 in materials.
The surprising cure to cybersickness – using VR underwater
Cybersickness is similar to motion sickness, but it comes from using electronic screens like virtual reality. A new study shows that aquatic VR could be the cure.
Metahuman lets you create photorealistic, animated digital humans
Epic has released a new character creation tool in Unreal Engine, called MetaHuman Creator, that helps you render an almost endless selection of near-photorealistic digital people.
Virtual patients help doctors improve bedside manner
The Virti platform lets doctors and med students interact with computer-generated virtual patients so they can improve their bedside manner.
This VR exoskeleton lets you actually run through virtual worlds
A VR exoskeleton called the Holotron works with a person’s entire lower body to let them control the locomotion of an avatar in VR.
Experts say education coming to the VR world is going to be “absolutely incredible”
Because of the pandemic educators are looking for more remote learning options and discovering the benefits of virtual reality.
New data visualization tool lets scientists “walk” inside cells
A new data visualization tool called vLUME recreates tiny objects like cells and neurons in a virtual world, allowing scientists to then explore them in VR.
New VR movie lets you play god to a planet of AIs
In the new VR movie “Agence,” artificially intelligent characters respond to the actions of the viewer in unpredictable ways.
Building trees in the Metaverse might actually save the forest
NatureXR, a new collective, is the first to build 3D model trees, then have scientists certify them as "real” for virtual reality.
VR experience aims to change people’s perspective of Earth
SpaceVR is trying to recreate the mind-altering “overview effect” experienced by astronauts using a float tank and VR headset.
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Challengers
This virtual world could be the next Fortnite
This virtual universe has already captured the interest of thousands of gamers and it stands to make a positive impact in the gaming industry as a whole.
Virtual reality meetings are the new Zoom
If you’re sick of video conferencing, you can now access Spatial’s platform for virtual reality meetings for free and without a headset.
John Legend, Tinashe, and Travis Scott give virtual concerts to connect with fans
Musicians are performing as digital avatars during virtual concerts as a way to take live streaming to a new level.
New VR system uses strings to provide haptic feedback
Wireality is a new device that provides haptic feedback for someone using a VR system by pulling on their fingers and wrist with a series of strings.
Could VR change how you trip on ketamine?
Virtual reality meets ketamine therapy to help treat pain, anxiety, and depression, to name a few.
Nature is good for you. What about VR nature?
Nature has the power to reduce stress and enhance our moods. Can VR nature experiences be a substitute for physically spending time in the outdoors?
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Through the Looking Glass
VR trips help treat depression in the elderly
In the U.S., about six million people over the age of 65 experience late life depression. So one organization is providing virtual reality excursions for seniors to help them experience life to the fullest.
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Through the Looking Glass
Conquering fear with virtual reality exposure therapy
Whether a patient fears spiders or flying, VR technology allows therapists to treat anxiety disorders by simulating these experiences in a safe environment.
Could we end earthquake deaths?
Thousands die in earthquakes every year - even though we know how to build safely. This engineer is working with people in the most vulnerable places to figure out why.
For the disabled, using virtual reality for education opens up new possibilities
His daughter couldn’t go on school field trips with her classmates, so Craig Chaytor designed a virtual reality...
Is the future of therapy… virtual? A look into virtual reality therapy
The immersive world of VR may have therapeutic benefits for people combating phobias, anxiety, and PTSD.
Bringing virtual reality to brain surgery
In partnership with Intel
Virtual reality is helping surgeons and patients prepare for complicated, life-saving surgeries in ways never before possible.
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Superhuman
Using virtual reality to help kids with autism
A virtual world offers a new way to engage with kids on the spectrum.
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Superhuman
Can virtual reality help fight the opioid crisis?
VR has long been seen as an escape from the real world. But recently researchers have been putting an unexpected twist on that. They’re now exploring how VR could provide an escape from an unfortunate reality many face everyday: chronic pain.
Four crazy uses for virtual reality (that aren’t video games)
We’re now starting to scratch the surface of the true potential of virtual reality.
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Challengers
How VR could change your life
Virtual reality could alter the human experience forever.
This week in ideas: Unveiling Google Earth VR, China goes all in on CRISPR, Cuba's cancer vaccine
Google releases some beautiful VR, human trials of gene-editing technology CRISPR, and importing Cuba's cancer...
This week in ideas: How VR changes our dreams, a stem cell miracle, and the shoes of the future
Virtual reality users experience more lucid dreams, a paralyzed man gets movement back, and self-lacing shoes....