Playful learning with Virtual Reality

Playful learning with Virtual Reality

You sometimes hear that every skill can be learned with a thousand hours of practice. Learn to play a guitar, or perform surgery on the brain. In addition to time, many more factors also play a role in the learning process.

Every form of teaching depends on the right learning resources. A textbook with incorrect information is not a good learning tool, a good documentary can be very instructive.

In the past, “playful” learning has often been placed in a negative light, learning should not be fun. This idea is completely outdated, by stimulating people with interesting information, more knowledge will be included. Virtual Reality can herald the future of playful learning. Image, sound and experience work together to transfer knowledge and improve the quality of the learning process.

The differences between VR and AR for teaching purpose

Virtual Reality for teaching is a completely virtual environment that completely isolates the user from the outside world. You can look around you, often you can also move and manipulate objects with a controller.

As long as you are in the virtual world, reality no longer exists. At least until you walk into a coffee table, or stand on the cat’s tail. Augmented Reality works in a very different way, with a layer being placed over the image.

Google Glass was the first product that came into the spotlight as AR headsets. Due to criticism for infringement of privacy, this product was quickly disposed of by Google. In the industrial sector, this kind of “smart headsets” prove to be a success.

Companies such as ODG develop Augmented Reality headsets that serve as a tool such as interactive manuals. With AR glasses you can work hands-free and call up information on command.

In addition to Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality is on the rise. Hereby not only is an image projected about reality, it really seems to be part of reality. Depth, distance and scale are taken into account. The Hololens from Microsoft, the Meta headset and the technology from Magic Leap work on the basis of Mixed Reality or MR.

Making an teaching Virtual Reality App comes within reach of more and more organizations. The costs fall quickly, the quality of the Apps keeps getting better. With the right tools and knowledge, it is possible for more and more target groups to develop a VR app.

Different target groups for education and entertainment

There seems to be a differentiation between consumer and professional. Although VR technology is not exactly new for industrial applications, it has become much more accessible for both professional use and for private individuals. The need and use is different. For professionals, the most beautiful graphics are of secondary importance, the headsets must be robust and preferably modular for simple expansion and repairs.

HTC, the manufacturer of the popular consumer VR headset HTC Vive, will focus on two markets. With the Hololens, Microsoft seems to be moving more and more towards professional applications, just like the new Google Glass.

Medical VR applications

The new interest in Virtual Reality has proved enormously successful for the medical sector, with more and more medical institutions using VR for medical training.

Dissecting the time of a frog in the classroom seems a thing of the past, now a medical student can study detailed models of people, and view and manipulate organs from every angle. Although this method of education is not suitable for practicing motor skills, it does provide a great deal of insight into the human body.

In addition to the study of 3D models, several 360-degree videos have already been made of a surgeon with a camera on his head, or a 360-degree camera in the operating room. It is normal for a medical study that students can watch, this type of video clips offers a unique first-person perspective during an operation.

Motor skills
We have already indicated that VR applications in the medical sector are not suitable for practicing motor skills. In the technical industry they are already continuing with these developments.

A special VR simulator has been developed, which the trainee can virtually weld with real welding equipment. The hardware is linked to a VR headset, the student sees and feels every action through software. The advantage of this type of training is the possibility to repeat every situation under the exact same conditions, or to adjust it.

Driving a forklift truck behind the desk

A forklift truck is a very complicated machine, training with this type of equipment is costly and time-consuming. With a desktop simulation, every scenario can be executed in VR. This not only saves time and costs during the learning process, errors during construction work are prevented which can save huge costs.

You can learn how to apply

Many talented students and professionals struggle to get a job because they do not present themselves correctly during the interview. The University of Michigan has developed VR training for people with disabilities.

In this program various scenarios are offered so that the applicant can better prepare for a real application. This means that people with a distance to the labor market have a greater chance of finding a job.

Better spatial insight for referees

Supporters along the line often give unsalted comments on the actions of a referee. With Virtual Reality training this can be a thing of the past, VR appears to be an effective tool to give referees a better sense of depth perception.

VR headsets display a stereoscopic image with depth, in contrast to normal television screens. With VR headsets, specific game situations can be repeated time and again, giving referees a better view of the various scenarios.

Sex lessons in VR

When the sex industry embraces a new technology, you know it will be a success. If this theory is correct, VR becomes a huge success, because more and more porn production houses are making panorama sex films for use with a VR headset or smartphone with VR holder.

There is even a special rubber head that the talent can literally focus on. In addition, porn distributor Badoink has developed a Virtual Sexology lesson program that allows you to perform better in bed.

A museum visit becomes a treasure hunt

When you see a mummy lying in the museum, you would like to take a look under the windings. Lumin has developed a method based on Android in combination with a Lenovo Phab 2 Pro that makes this possible.

This “phablet” has support for Tango, the Mixed Reality system that records depth as well as movement. Lumin is also called “Pokémon GO for the museum”, in practice this technology is a lot more impressive and also very educational.

Sharing is Caring 

Whether your doctor Oz, the television doctor from the Oprah Winfrey stole, must blindly trust is debatable. He does see possibilities in Virtual Reality and therefore works together with Sharecare, a company that is engaged in healthcare based on Virtual Reality.

Another well-known charlatan specialist Deepak Chopra has already developed a VR program to meditate in Virtual Reality. In addition to these commercial projects, there are plenty of organizations that provide therapy through Virtual Reality.

Demented patients appear to benefit greatly from customized VR experiences, Virtual Reality helps with pain relief and with rehabilitation. Even in the case of phantom pain in patients who have undergone an amputation, VR therapy appears to achieve very good results.

Move yourself into another and feel that experience

Research has shown that VR therapy appeals to specific parts of the human brain. This information can be used to compile lesson programs. There are already projects where empathy is stimulated by placing people in the skin of someone else.

For example, a white person learns to experience the consequences of racism by moving into the skin of a dark person, there is a VR project in which a transgender per