Virtual reality: 4 ways Vancouverites are using VR
Meet-ups, medical training, live theatre and a different kind of headset
Virtual reality has gotten much better in recent years, thanks in part to a group of Vancouver VR enthusiasts who meet every month.
Maria Lantin, research director for Emily Carr University of Art + Design's Stereoscopic 3D Centre, gave The Early Edition guest host Stephen Quinn an introduction on CBC Radio.
1. Medical training
Conquer Mobile uses virtual reality simulations for medical training.
2. Live theatre
Athomas Goldberg, CEO of Pepper's Ghost, uses VR to broadcast live theatrical performances.
"You can put on your headset, and log into a stream and look around a virtual theatre that is being filmed in 360 [degrees]," says Lantin.
3. A different kind of VR headset
WaveSine Solutions has developed a different kind of head-mounted display. The Somnus is wireless, transparent and does not fully cover the face.
4. Virtual Reality night
It's a kind of show-and-tell with tech demonstrations.
"People bring their own headsets, or just experience the headsets that we have," she says.
"We'll have it set up with the NaturalPoint [motion capture] system … so we put little markers on the hands on the Occulus [VR headset] and on the hands of the user, and then we can track movements in real space. So you can walk around with your headset, so you're not stuck in your chair."
The group meets at The Sawmill, 8938 Shaughnessy St., Vancouver..