Technology is often criticized for separating people from each other. In fact, there are many ways that technology has brought us even closer together and created more ways to interact with each other. Virtual reality and augmented reality technology are some of the hottest industries being developed right now, and already there are numerous practical and theoretical ways that this technology can bring us closer together. Here are just some of the ways.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Games
If you are a gamer, there is a lot to be excited about with augmented and virtual reality marching into the mainstream. This technology holds endless opportunities to finally do something different in the gaming world, aside from just improving graphics year after year. The way these games can revolutionize the multiplayer experience has yet to be seen, but the ideas are already taking form.
It’s imaginable that soon video games will have progressed to the point that you play as a virtual avatar of yourself alongside friends instead of just holding a control alone in your living room while you play.
Virtual Reality Chat Rooms
It seems that everyone is getting involved in VR manufacturing, even computer and smartphone-centered companies. In the times before smartphones, we had group calls when you wanted to have your friends all together in one conversation. This morphed into online chat rooms, and now we have Discord, Slack, and other applications that are in the same vein.
What virtual reality will likely bring is another step in this evolution. The technology in its current state is limited, but we are not far off from full-body scans. Eventually, you will be able to be in a room full of your friends without having to leave the house.
Traveling and Experiencing Culture
Traveling is one area that is expected to take on a whole new form with virtual reality. Most people say they enjoy traveling and wish they were able to do it more often. Because of work and other responsibilities, that is not always possible. What virtual reality poses is a way to travel and experience the greatest cities in the world without the need to book plane tickets and accommodations.
Presumably, this could happen in two different ways. You potentially have the option to either use a VR headset to travel to a virtual representation of a place, or the place could be broadcast live and you could walk through the area as if you were really there. This could be a city, art gallery, a concert, seemingly anything. The possibilities are limitless.
Fitness and Personal Training
The fitness industry has exploded over the last two decades, and unique workout programs like CrossFit and OrangeTheory are all the rage. Naturally, some creative fitness entrepreneurs are already scheming up ways to use VR technology into fitness classes.
So called “fitness games” are being developed right now that will incorporate motion to deliver a full workout. In these games, your body is the controller. Whole fitness programs are being created with group classes in mind, and you can be assured that this will certainly lead to a new wave of workouts that many people will be thrilled to participate in.
Another fitness VR concept is that of personal training. Finding the right trainer can be a hassle in itself, and finding the time to meet them at the gym is a whole other matter. Instead, VR technology can enable you to select any trainer in the world and work out alongside them in your own home.
Business Meetings
The business world is quickly becoming a very decentralized place. Of course, the older style of business is everyone working in an office together, oftentimes never being out of earshot. In modern times, it’s very common to have many employees, if not most of your employees, working remotely from their homes. While this certainly has many benefits, there are also some drawbacks. Before anything else is considered, it’s obvious that we are losing the feeling of a community.
Virtual reality technology would enable you to have a mass gathering or business meeting with all of your employees in one place without having to travel. This allows you to bring everyone together for team building exercises, or even seminars to learn new things. It’s incredible the opportunities that will soon be available once VR technology matures.