Virtual Reality might not be as realistic as some of us would have liked it to be at the moment, but this does not mean that it has no use at all. Toyota sees the education potential of VR and the Oculus Rift, and have shown off their TeenDrive365 system – which is a driver education simulation that will (hopefully) teach new drivers about the risks associated with distracted driving. For instance, the driver would obviously be in the cockpit of a Toyota vehicle, where one will be in a fully immersive virtual environment – and that includes passengers, traffic, buildings and roadway obstacles.
Of course, the Toyota vehicle would be stationary in real life, but it will come with a slew of controls such as gas, brake and steering wheel, and manipulating them would be reflected in the virtual environment. Wearing a pair of stereo headphones would help to complete the experience, where realistic sounds such as honking, sirens, and your friends (yes, virtual friends!) will continue to chit chat with you, being a very real distraction in the actual scenario.
This ought to be an eye opener for those who think that driving is a breeze after getting their license. Hopefully educational systems like these will be able to be implemented in various other industries in due time.
Filed in . Read more about Oculus Rift, Toyota and Virtual Reality (VR). Source: techcrunch