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- 1 The study showed VR can be weaponized against carbon emissions.
- 2 Companies like Meta Platforms and HTC have launched VR headsets in the past.
Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly becoming a favorable playground for tech giants and in different sectors. Leading companies like Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Apple and more are offering advanced headgears at premium rates. On the other hand, experts in different sectors are regularly discovering use cases of the tech here and now.
Virtual Reality Can Help Offset Environmental Damage
A recent study based on an experiment, authored by Christopher Ball, an assistant professor in the University of Illinois, and published in a peer-reviewed journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, explores new dimensions in virtual reality. The research was focused on how the technology can help make tourism more eco-friendly.
The document stated, “The current study found that nature-based VR travel had an indirect positive effect on many of the participant’s environmental attitudes and behavioral intentions through the mediating roles of spatial presence and narrative engagement. In other words, feeling present in the virtual context and engaged with the virtual content resulted in the most significant positive impact. Therefore, nature-based VR travel may provide an avenue to make travel more sustainable and impactful.”
Report mentions that tourism can harm the environment and virtual reality can assist in offsetting them. Air transport is among the major contributors of carbon emissions globally. Even the government agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and airlines company Boeing, are working on ‘X-plane’ designed to fight climate change according to Vox, an American news and opinion website.x
The study divided a group of students from a Midwestern University in the U.S. among a control group and an experimental group. While the former was required to experience an aquamarine life-focused VR series dubbed, theBlu, on a Television, the latter group was provided virtual reality headsets for immersive experience.
Resulting outcomes concluded that the experimental group had a more immersive experience than the control group. Additionally, they had a greater feeling of narrative engagement. A couple of hypotheses from the study reported that the students using the VR headset experienced higher environmental attitude and behavioral intentions, and spatial presence in contrast to the ones who consumed the content through television.
Professionals Using VR to Enhance Efficacy
Last month, Greenpeace used virtual reality domes to raise environmental awareness during England’s largest annual art festival, Brighton Fringe. Recently, a news article revealed doctors at Mayo Clinic, an American not-for-profit academic medical center, were using the technology for spine surgeries.
Moreover, the Ohio State team recently revealed they were using the metaverse technology to train first responders. Medical manager at Ohio Task Force 1 said they are preparing for situations similar to 2016 Belgium bombings. He further explained such events are low in frequency and high in stakes.
VR will is believed to be an integral element for accessing the metaverse. However, the concept is already considered ‘dead.’ Still, latest revelations of virtual and augmented reality devices from Apple and Meta are keeping it ‘alive.’
Anurag is working as a fundamental writer for The Coin Republic since 2021. He likes to exercise his curious muscles and research deep into a topic. Though he covers various aspects of the crypto industry, he is quite passionate about the Web3, NFTs, Gaming, and Metaverse, and envisions them as the future of the (digital) economy. A reader & writer at heart, he calls himself an “average guitar player” and a fun footballer.
