Virtual reality is here, but what it is?
2016 is officially the year that virtual reality gets introduced to our homes, our workplaces and our schools. Virtual reality is the term used to describe a three-dimensional, computer generated environment which can be explored and interacted with by a person. The term has been around for years, but only now is it about to explode on us. Virtual reality is arguably the most exciting technology development in recent years and Moore IT are already involved in testing, and delivering projects to business clients.
Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift, Microsoft Hololens, Sony VR, if you haven't heard of these names yet, you soon will; all the big technology companies are rushing to release their products at an affordable price.
Moore IT were lucky enough to get hold of an Oculus Rift Development Kit 2. In conjunction with Colour Studios we provided a virtual reality experience at a recent health exhibition (in May 2016) for a client.
The Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset developed by Oculus, an American virtual reality technology company. In 2012, Oculus created a Kickstarter campaign to fund development. The product proved highly successful, collecting around $10 million for development, and released two pre-production models to the public: the "Development Kit 1" and the "Development Kit 2". In 2014, Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg agreed to acquire Oculus for $2 billion, in cash and Facebook stock. This was the funding required to bring the Rift to production, and Oculus are now delivering the first consumer versions in America.
To order an Oculus Rift, you can register your details on the Oculus website and join a waiting list. The price for the Rift in the UK is expected to be around £499.
How can virtual reality be used for business and education?
Using virtual reality in exhibition demonstrations is just one of the many endless possibilities, some of which have not even been explored yet and will be developed in the near future.
Imagine schools being able to teach the solar system, in 3D to a classroom of pupils floating around inside space. In other areas of education, many classes have used virtual reality tools to collaboratively construct architectural models, or recreations of historic or natural sites.
Businesses already use virtual reality to test products, train staff, and demonstrate 360 degree views of products. Airbus are already offering virtual reality tours of the latest airplanes. The virtual reality market is expected to grow to a $15.9 billion industry by 2019.
There are already benefits to businesses using virtual reality; companies who produce dangerous or potentially harmful products which need to be evaluated before use can test their product within a virtual environment but at no risk to themselves or their employees. Virtual reality can be used to save money in developing early prototypes.
How Moore IT delivered a virtual reality project to a client
In conjunction with Colour Studios (exhibition designers), we were able to provide a client with a virtual reality experience to demonstrate their products to doctors at a recent health and nutrition exhibition. The virtual reality tour allowed doctors to take a 3D look inside the human body.
The technology for the exhibition consisted of 2 x Oculus Rift’s, 4 high spec custom built PC’s, 2 touch screens and a 50” screen displaying what the person using the Oculus Rift could see. As you can imagine, the stand attracted a lot of attention and everyone wanted to try out the experience.
The easy part for us was building the PC’s that were designed to a specification capable of running the software for the Oculus and supplying one of our IT engineers to be on hand for any technical issues during the exhibition.
The experience for any willing doctors allowed them to sit in a chair with the Oculus Rift headset on, requiring them look forward to start the demo. Once it began they really felt like they were inside a body, taking in all of the sounds and being able to take a 360 degree look around whilst listening to a narrator explaining the benefits of their product.
To hire the Oculus Rift equipment out from us for your business or exhibition, please get in contact with Moore IT on 01225 486100.
And here we test the Oculus Rift out on our staff
Yes, we tested out a virtual reality rollercoaster application on some of our staff. Below you can view their reactions; some held on to the desk, some screamed and some even felt sick afterwards after really feeling that they had been thrown around, upside down on a rollercoaster.