I can envision a lot of simulations that might benefit from allowing the researchers and experimenters to work in a VR environment, even without "hardlight" projections or something.
I mean, I keep building this robot, piece-by-piece, in a virtual space where I can assemble them, so I don't have to design every piece in a tool specifically for pieces, and that would the be the tool I use to not have to machine it myself in trial-and-error.
@Azure @Elizafox @sydneyfalk It's not quite as fancy and VR's not required, but there's some ongoing projects like those that make good use of VR.
As part of the #INACHUS project, there's work being done with Blender to develop a Bullet Constraints Builder add-on that accurately simulates building collapse in order to help first-aid responders know how to navigate.
https://youtu.be/TCJq_2-q34k?t=4m12s
(VR tracking is demonstrated in another upload)
That's pretty damned amazing, TBQH. And it's easy to imagine AR applications of that for rescuers, with a visual likely-collapse guide laid over the original internal map of the building.
Perhaps (eventually) even a mapping tool wrapped into it that uses a rangefinder or machine vision to determine which blockages occurred that weren't predicted by the model.
The world is a fascinating place. ^_^
@sydneyfalk @Azure @Elizafox Also, AR for visually impaired!
http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/08/21/samsungs-relumino-gear-vr-powered-aid-visually-impared/
"By processing images from [...] phone while it's hooked up to a Gear VR headset, the app can apply different techniques to aid the user, such as magnifying or minimizing, highlighting outlines, adjusting contrast or brightness, and reversing color. Conditions such as blind spots or tunnel vision can be aided by "remapping unseen images to place in visible parts of the eye.""
Also basic AR may prove very helpful for people with memory deficits -- having the ability to 'rewind' to what happened at any given time would help me immensely, frex. ^_^
Sydney Falk, An Oversensitive SJW Type
digitalfox