“If you can dream it, VR can make it” – MATTHEW SCHNIPPER

Technology- is an important term in the daily lives of human beings since it positively impacts various sectors. It has made it possible for everyone to perform complicated tasks that could not be possible without them. One of the most recent technologies that have been developed is Virtual Reality. It has led to radical changes in commercial design and it is expected that it will change the daily lives of individuals. 

Before going into detail let’s first understand the meaning of Virtual Reality.

What is Virtual Reality?

Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. A virtual world is a world in which images, sounds, and text are used by a computer where people can communicate with each other, play games, and pretend to live another life. VR creates a virtual, replicated environment where people interact using VR goggles or other devices. This blog on “Virtual Reality” will extend your boundaries to explore the world of VR where the future ahead is! 

Let’s take a look at different types of VR and how users engage in their specific ways. 

TYPES OF VIRTUAL REALITY 

Non-immersive Virtual Reality

It is a type of virtual reality in which you interact with a virtual environment through a computer where you can control some characters or activities without being in direct touch with the virtual environment. For eg. like game Dota 2. You can control the direction of characters and they will effect the virtual environment of the game. In this way you are interacting with a virtual environment but not directly. A character in the game does that. 

Fully Immersive Virtual Reality 

It is the opposite of non-immersive VR and guarantees a realistic virtual experience. It makes you feel like you are physically present in the virtual world and the events taking place there are happening to you. Special equipment is required to provide a realistic virtual experience like VR glasses, gloves, and body detectors equipped with sense detectors. An example of this would be a Virtual Gaming Zone, where you and others use special gear to interact with the virtual environment, all at the same time, and play with or against each other. 

Semi-Immersive Virtual Reality 

It is something in between non-immersive and fully immersive VR. In this, you can move around in a virtual environment using a computer screen or VR glasses, but other than your visual experience you will have no physical sensation to enhance the experience. For

example a virtual tour. It may be device-based or web-based. The best part of this technology is that participants can roam around the place without having to be there physically. 

Augmented Reality 

It is a type of VR that makes the user see the real world through a phone screen and make virtual changes to it on the screen. Mobile applications like Pokémon Go are good examples of Augmented Reality. By turning on your phone’s camera you can point it to a place where you suspect Pokémon will be. Pokémon will be displayed on your phone screen then. There’s no physical addition to the area being filmed and they only appear in the environment of your screen. 

Collaborative VR 

In this users can come together from different locations in a virtual environment in the form of 3D projected characters. The best example of collaborative VR is the well-known game Player Unknowns Battlegrounds (PUBG), where virtual 3D characters of different players come together and they all interact with each other’s virtual personas in that environment. 

Now the question arises is how this virtual reality will help students in education or what role it plays in education? 

So let’s have a glance at that

Virtual Reality in Education

VR creates an environment or a user experience that feels real. In VR students can interact with what they see as if they were there. 

VR is providing students with immersive learning experiences. It has so many other benefits in education like its includes the ability to inspire students’ creativity and flicker their imaginations. And this will motivate the students to explore new academic interests. VR in education also helps those students who are struggling to understand difficult academic concepts. The advantage of VR in education exceeds academics as it includes cultural competence, and the ability to understand another person’s culture and values— which is an important skill in today’s society. 

Virtual reality can turn into a valuable asset for education. For example, research out of Penn State University showed that students who used immersive virtual reality to accomplish a task did so more than twice as fast as students who used traditional computer programs. 

How to get started with Virtual Reality

● To get started in virtual reality, it’s important to develop an interest or to engage with apps and games. Students can also study virtual reality development projects. Through practical training, students can develop fluency in product design, video game design, 3D modeling, animation, and design theory. For programming, it helps to know C#. 

● Virtual reality is evolving day by day and the more students explore it, the more experience they can build up in VR. Therefore it’s important to stay up to the speed of this industry. 

● There are plenty of platforms for students to develop interest with VR. Students can enroll themselves in various courses available online. 

● Read interesting virtual reality articles about the subject, and follow the latest news. Since the VR industry is still at an early stage, so there will always be newer things to learn. So stay connected to this. 

Conclusion 

Virtual Reality is a fun, mind-expanding, and exciting technology. Since it is popular and the benefits it holds ,we expect this technology to become more widespread in classrooms. As students mind has no boundaries, their imagination, and creative thinking grow with each learning session, so introducing them to new technology will help them to shape their future. Let them explore new topics. This provides the necessary learning experience which helps them to progress in their chosen field. 

VR can bring academic subjects to life, it helps the students to see the world with new insights and perspectives. But VR can’t replace human interaction. Learning is a social experience, so VR is best used as an learning tool. To get your hands on more educational and free resources on coding for kids, robotics for kids, financial education for kids, etc., do check out the BrightCHAMPS Page now!

Learn robotics kits for kids and lego robotics for kids .

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)