There are many applications of virtual reality (VR). Applications have been developed in a variety of domains, such as architectural and urban design, industrial designs, restorative nature experiences, healthcare and clinical therapies, digital marketing and activism, education and training, engineering and robotics, entertainment, virtual communities, fine arts, heritage and archaeology, occupational safety, as well as social science and psychology.
Virtual Reality (VR) is revolutionizing industries by enabling immersive, interactive simulations that greatly improve the work of professionals in these industries. VR is changing how experts approach problems and come up with creative solutions in a variety of fields, including architecture and urban planning, where it helps visualize intricate structures and simulate entire cities, and healthcare and surgery, where it enhances accuracy and patient safety. As evidenced by successful collaborative operations using VR platforms, advancements in VR enable surgeons to train in risk-free environments and sketch out treatments customized for particular patients.
VR applications promote technical proficiency, offer practical experience, and improve patient outcomes by decreasing errors and boosting productivity in medical education. Beyond healthcare, virtual reality (VR) plays a key role in improving education and training through realistic, interactive settings, designing safer workplaces, and producing calming nature experiences. These developments demonstrate VR's ability to revolutionize a variety of industries, but issues like affordability, usability, and realism still need to be addressed.
VR also extends its impact into the marketing world, where immersive 3D experiences engage customers in unique ways that get them excited about products. Additionally, VR's role in mental health through therapies for PTSD and anxiety disorders demonstrates its psychological value.
Architecture and urban design One of the first recorded uses of virtual reality in architecture was in the late 1990s when the University of North Carolina virtually modeled Sitterman Hall, home of its computer science department. Designers wore a headset and used a hand controller to simulate moving around a virtual space. With an Autodesk Revit model, they could "walk through" a schematic. VR enables architects to better understand the details of a project, such as the transition of materials, sightlines, or visual displays of wall stress, wind loads, solar heat gain, or other engineering factors.
The application of VR expanded from single buildings to city-scale environments during the late 1990s through digital city initiatives. For example, the "Helsinki Arena 2000" project, initiated in 1996, featured a 3D model of the city that served as a technical interface where citizens could communicate via two-way live video within the virtual space. Similarly, Digital City Kyoto (launched in 1998) served as an advanced testbed connecting physical urban environments with virtual spaces, utilizing its 3D virtual city for practical applications such as disaster evacuation simulations using autonomous agents.
By 2010, VR programs had been developed for urban regeneration, planning and transportation projects.Roudavski, S. (2010). Virtual Environments as Techno-Social Performances: Virtual West Cambridge Case-Study, in CAADRIA2010: New Frontiers, the 15th International Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia, ed. by Bharat Dave, Andrew I-kang Li, Ning Gu and Hyoung-June Park, pp. 477–486 Entire cities were simulated in VR.
Industrial design Virtual reality and artificial intelligence are used by automotive firms like Porsche and BMW to optimize their production chains. Software developers are building VR solutions to skip redundant design workflow phases and meet end-user expectations faster and more accurately.
Restorative nature experiences
Studies on exposure to nature environments show how they are able to help individuals relax, recover attention capacity and cognitive function, reduce stress and stimulate positive moods. The Attention Restoration Theory and Stress Recovery Theory explain the mechanisms by which VR nature environments can lead to mental restoration. This is in contrast to urban environments that have shown to be less restorative.
Immersive virtual reality technology is able to replicate believable restorative nature experiences, either using 360 degree video footage or environments created from 3D real-time rendering, often developed using game engines like Unreal Engine or Unity. This is useful for users who cannot access certain areas, for example, senior citizens or residents of nursing homes who face physical restraints or complications. In 2016, the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam introduced a spherical webcam offering a live immersive virtual reality experience.
Healthcare and medicine VR is being applied to a wide range of medical areas, including medical education, training, surgery and diagnostic assistance for healthcare staff. For healthcare professionals, by exploring computer generated, three-dimensional (3D), multimedia sensory environments in real time, whether realistic or artificial, they can gain practical knowledge that can be used in clinical practice. For patients, VR can be utilised for surgery, rehabilitation and training to alleviate medical symptoms and cure diseases. VR began to appear in rehabilitation in the 2000s.
Training for healthcare professionals With the rise of COVID-19 in 2020, opportunities for clinical training and education were greatly reduced due to the lack of availability of clinical educators and the need to establish social distancing by avoiding in-person interaction.Goh P, Sandars J, 2020, 'A vision of the use of technology in medical education after the COVID-19 pandemic', MedEdPublish, 9, , 49 However, in recent years, there has been a resurge in funding, thus, many institutions have developed simulations to teach their medical students. Particularly in the field of diabetes, a study named DEVICE (Diabetes Emergencies: Virtual Interactive Clinical Education) allowed non-specialist clinics to undergo training so that they can better identify and treat diabetes patients.
Use of VR Training in Surgery VR is being increasingly used to train surgeons by providing realistic surgery simulators that replicate real-life scenarios. These tools allow for hands-on practice in a safe environment, improving precision and skills without the risks associated with real patients. This allows new surgeons to practice and receive feedback without needing an expert surgeon to walk them through the process.
Research shows that physicians who experience VR simulations improved their dexterity and performance in the operating room significantly more than control groups.Larsen, C.R., Oestergaard, J., Ottesen, B.S., and Soerensen, J.L. "The efficacy of virtual reality simulation training in laparoscopy: a systematic review of randomized trials". Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. 2012; 91: 1015–1028 A 2020 study found that clinical students trained through VR scored higher across various areas, including diagnosis, surgical methods, and overall performance, compared to those taught traditionally. Trainees may use real instruments and video equipment to practice in simulated surgeries. Through the revolution of computational analysis abilities, fully immersive VR models are currently available in neurosurgery training. Ventriculostomy catheters insertion, endoscopic and endovascular simulations are used in neurosurgical residency training centers across the world. Experts see VR training as an essential part of the curriculum of future training of neurosurgeons.
In one of these studies for example, from 2022, Participants were given a touch-screen monitor, two surgical handlers, and two-foot pedals that were designed to emulate a real world laparoscopic simulator. When participants were asked to perform simulated surgery tasks (Figure 1), they performed significantly better than a control group that wasn't training using VR. In addition to doing better on tasks, those who got VR training demonstrated significant time savings and enhanced performance in the previously mentioned critical areas. Participants who trained using virtual reality also demonstrated reduced cognitive load, suggesting that they were able to learn the content with significantly less mental strain. These findings demonstrate how VR-based simulators, which provide a secure and entertaining environment for practicing surgical techniques, have the potential to completely transform laparoscopic training.
VR technology has emerged as a potential tool for medical training, particularly due to the shortage of skilled surgeons. By creating highly realistic and interactive virtual environments, VR simulations have potential to enhance surgical skills, improve patient safety, and reduce training costs. A 2020 study compared the performance of experienced and less experienced surgeons in a VR simulation for spine surgery. The results indicated that novice surgeons who underwent VR training were able to identify and correct errors more effectively than those who relied solely on traditional training methods.Luca Andrea; Giorgino, Riccardo; Gesualdo Loreto; Peretti, Giuseppe M; Belkhou, Anas; Banfi, Giuseppe; Grasso, Giovanni (2020-08). "Innovative Educational Pathways in Spine Surgery: Advanced Virtual Reality–Based Training". Spine Health Special Section. 140: 674 – 680. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2020.04.102. ISSN 1878-8750 VR simulations offer a potentially cost-effective and efficient training method. While traditional methods, such as cadaver labs and physical simulations, require significant resources, VR simulations can be accessed remotely and customized to individual needs.
Surgery, therapy and rehabilitation for patients
VR Use in Surgery VR can produce a three-dimensional representation of a particular patient's anatomy that allows surgeons to map out the surgery ahead of time. This can be used in neurosurgery, allowing neurosurgeons to design a surgical procedure tailored to the patient prior to the operation which enhances surgical success. The first collaborative virtual reality surgery was successfully performed in June 2022, in Brazil by pediatric surgeon Noor Ul Owase Jeelani, of Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. The surgery, a separation of conjoined twins, was conducted collaboratively in a "virtual reality room" by Dr. Jeelani and Dr. Gabriel Mufarrej, head of paediatric surgery at Instituto Estadual do Cerebro Paulo Niemeyer in Brazil.
Similarly, experts examined the state of virtual reality (VR) in surgical education today, emphasizing its advantages for patient safety (e.g., electrosurgical procedures), nontechnical skills (e.g., teamwork), and technical skills (e.g., laparoscopy). The conference's objectives were to evaluate the potential of VR simulation technology for surgical training and provide best practices for its application. They found that VR simulation can make it easier for surgeons to an airtight space and an area with proper ventilation. VR simulation can also teach surgeons about safety factors and about the importance of breaks and factors leading to potential failures and problems.
VR Use in Therapy Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is a form of exposure therapy for treating anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and phobias. Studies have indicated that by combining VRET with behavioral therapy, patients experience a reduction of symptoms. In some cases, patients no longer met the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD.