South Australia police using virtual reality simulator training
Our exclusive report brings you the latest breakthroughs on how virtual and augmented reality technologies revolutionize the education world.
A new 300-degree virtual reality firearms simulator is now operational at the South Australia Police Academy, providing police officers with enhanced training for high-risk situations. The simulator provides highly-realistic scenarios, allowing officers to hone and develop communication skills, decision making, de-escalation abilities, and rapid response. The simulator will also be used for testing officers across marksmanship, pistol and electronic control device (tazer) abilities… (Read more)
Space-starved Hong Kong could get its first virtual cemetery for green burials
In virtual reality, you can stroll around, gaze at the views and walk up to the grave to pay respects, something you will find hard to do in land-starved Hong Kong. This is what 80-year-old industrialist and inventor Yuen Se-kit and his son Anthony Yuen Sze-ming want to achieve… (Read more)
Renewables sector embraces the promise of virtual reality
A lab that opened last month in Fife, Scotland shows how the energy industry is embracing virtual reality systems. The Fife College Immersive Hybrid Reality lab simulates the top of a nacelle on a 7-megawatt offshore wind turbine, allowing students to carry out fault-finding inspections without having to leave shore… (Read more)
Exploring St Paul’s Catacombs in virtual reality
Lecturers at St Martin’s Institute of Higher Education are using virtual reality to enhance everyone’s experience, irrespective of whether one can or cannot visit heritage sites. By putting on a virtual reality headset, which looks like a pair of snorkelling goggles, you can set foot in or, more accurately, hover like a drone and explore out-of-bounds chambers… (Read more)
Google tests VR as a replacement for dull training videos
Google is testing virtual reality in the broader workplace. The company’s Daydream Labs hosted an experiment to see if hypothetical new hires learned better by watching training videos or donning a VR headset and walking through simulations — and it turns out, immersive education does a better job… (Read more)
Virtual, augmented reality brings new dimension to interactive education
While computers and tablets have opened more opportunities for students to engage with their subject matter in the last decade, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) enable them to understand abstract concepts better, anytime and anywhere. Gerrit Kruger, MD of Sozo Labs, says, “VR and AR are able to present complex information in an accessible way to students, which is both fun and engaging.”… (Read more)
How VR training prepares surgeons to save infants’ lives
Virtual reality promises to be great for gamers, but it also has potential to change the world in other ways. Shauna Heller recognized that potential, so she quit her job at Oculus VR and became a consultant — working to bring non-VR applications to life. One of the projects she took on was to create a VR simulation that teaches doctors how to treat infants in emergencies… (Read more)
Researchers make augmented reality a group experience
Sit on Disney Research’s Magic Bench and you may have an elephant hand you a glowing orb. Or you might get rained on. Or a tiny donkey might saunter by and kick the bench. It’s a combined augmented and mixed reality experience, but not the type that involves wearing a head-mounted display or using a handheld device. Instead, the surroundings are instrumented rather than the individual, allowing people to share the magical experience as a group… (Read more)
Google opens Expeditions VR education app to the public
Google announced a new Expeditions App. The app will introduce a solo mode that allows people to explore the nearly 600 available tours on their own. In group tour settings, users can connect the devices over Wi-Fi and have a guide direct explorers through the tour… (Read more)
Infographic: Augmented reality in education
The virtual reality industry is expected to reach $7 billion by 2018 including $2.3 billion in the hardware market and $4.7 billion from software products. By 2020, the augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality markets could reach $150 billion in combined revenue. There have been 225 AR and VR venture capitalist investments over the past two years and there are currently 685 VR startups with an average valuation of $4.5 million… (Check the full infographic)
