USC Experts Discuss the Future of VR
The release of the Oculus Rift this week signals the beginnings of a consumer market in virtual reality technology. But what are the technical and business challenges facing that market? And what applications for VR can we expect to see in the near future?
Contact: Andrew Good at (213) 740-8606 or gooda@usc.edu.
The business of VR – and its backlash
“I think there will be an inevitable VR backlash this year as the devices make it out into the wild. The ‘gee whiz’ factor will only last so long, and then there will need to be meaningful or truly engaging experiences. I think there will be some backlash not just related to the content and experiences, but also the social/ethical issues, and especially sim sickness.
“With Google Glass, you had ‘Glassholes’ – people didn’t have the social norms worked out. The same will happen for VR and other AR stuff.
“I think the content will evolve quickly, and ‘experiences’ will get pretty good, though 2017 should be closer. Telling stories in VR is still in its very early stages and it will take awhile to sort that out.”
Todd Richmond is Director of Advanced Prototype Development at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies. He can discuss how VR will disrupt healthcare, education and a range of other fields.
Contact: toddr@usc.edu.
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VR and healthcare
“It is probable that in the next few years, a VR device will be like a toaster—although you may not use it every day, every household will have one. This emerging level of market penetration will likely support accelerated uptake in the healthcare domain as the general public has more virtual experiences and comes to see the potential value of the experiences that VR can create, beyond the world of digital games.”
Skip Rizzo, Director of Medical Virtual Reality at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies, is an expert on the use of VR in clinical treatment, particularly for veterans suffering from PTSD. ICT’s research into VR treatments spans 20 years and conditions such as ADHD, autism, cerebral palsy and more.
Contact: (213) 610-4737 or rizzo@ict.usc.edu.
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Full-bodied VR, Sim-Sickness and the VR Market
“Simulator sickness is significant challenge that must be overcome if virtual reality is to be successful for a mainstream audience. The video game industry has come up with a number of guidelines to avoid making people sick, such as avoiding acceleration. However, these workarounds will limit the usability and interaction possibilities for VR.
“Personally, I tend to get nauseous very quickly when wearing head-mounted displays, often within just a couple minutes. The HTC Vive system was the first VR experience I have been able to use for over 20 minutes without negative symptoms.”
Evan Suma, Research Assistant Professor at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies, is studying movement in virtual spaces, including “change blindness redirection” – a technique that tricks a VR user’s mind into thinking they’re walking through an infinitely large space.
Contact: suma@ict.usc.edu.
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VR for education and transportation
“Virtual reality allows us to tap into more of our human sensory and motor bandwidth, which can help us learn and understand complex concepts and situations. Virtual reality can also transport us to locations, distant in place or time, which can help us learn about different cultures, or even work with people who are far away.”
David Krum is a computer scientist at the Mixed Reality Lab at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies. His research has contributed to the development of low-cost VR displays which led to technologies like the Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR. He can discuss the techniques and technologies behind VR experiences and how they can be used to help people learn, understand, and communicate.
Contact: krum@ict.usc.edu.
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From cinema to VR, storytelling evolves
“The beauty of a well-told documentary film is that it can make you aware of cultures and places that you might never have the opportunity to be exposed to in your life. With VR documentaries you can be brought to these place in a visceral way, in a way in which your brain believes that it has actually been there.
“Early on in our research into the narrative structure within VR, we saw the potential to foster philanthropy. Whether or not you have agency within an experience can trigger powerful emotions. You may have the impetus to help someone in a virtual experience and if you are constrained by the interactions within the scenario then perhaps you will be motivated to help in the real world. For this reason VR has been called an Empathy Machine.”
David Nelson is Special Project Manager for the Mixed Reality Lab at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies, as well as an award-winning producer and director. He has been working on the MxR Lab’s “Rosetta Project,” an effort to codify the developing language of virtual reality.
Contact: dnelson@ict.usc.edu.
Photo caption: Evan Suma makes adjustments to the head-mounted display used in his research of virtual environments. Photo credit: Stephanie Kleinman/USC.
