Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) offer plenty of amazing entertainment and educational opportunities, but despite the realistic and immersive depth of virtual worlds that exist in VR and AR, there are some real-world risks to using these technologies.

One of the most widespread examples of the risks presented by virtual games and experiences came about after Pokemon Go was released in the summer of 2016. While it was not as immersive as full virtual reality, this AR game still managed to cause plenty of injuries, as people were so focused on the game that they weren’t paying attention to their surroundings. Multiple car accidents, injuries like twisted ankles and bruised shins, and even robberies were reported as a result of people being too focused on the game.

As VR becomes more common, thanks to new and more affordable headsets entering the market, it’s important to understand why VR is bad if it’s not used carefully. Understanding the downsides and risks associated with this technology is important for both creators and users to help determine the suitability of the software for each individual user.

Why Virtual Reality Is Bad

There are plenty of real consequences and risks associated with using VR technology that has even some designers of VR hardware and apps worrying about users. Since these games are so immersive and the user’s visual range is completely blocked by the headset, there is plenty of risk of physical injury, since you can’t see your real-life surroundings.

VR designers are constantly looking at the latest research and working to minimize the potential for physical and psychological damage caused by virtual experiences. Since these games and activities can feel so incredibly real due to the level of immersion they offer, there is a real risk that people may be negatively affected psychologically by what they witness. For instance, many horror games have been developed for VR, but while horror fans may relish the opportunity to live out a scary story, designers are worried about PTSD-like effects from these games long after the game is over.

There is also the question of whether or not VR headsets are safe for children and teenagers. These systems are created for adults who have fully developed brains and eyes, and there’s very little consensus on whether or not children should be allowed to use them. The technology is still relatively new, and very few studies have been done on the long-term effects of VR on children’s brains, but there is a legitimate fear that kids who play VR games may struggle to discern the difference between fantasy and reality.

What Are the Risks of Virtual Reality?

There are plenty of real risks associated with the use of a VR console.

Physical Risks

Since a VR headset covers the eyes, users may fall, trip over or bump into objects, or lose their balance because they can’t see their real-world environment. Users may also experience eye strain, which can lead to headaches. People who use VR headsets should first make sure that their play area is free of potential hazards. They should also reduce the amount of time they play to limit eye strain.

Motion Sickness

Motion sickness is one of the leading issues that users experience while using VR due to its realistic simulated motion. When what your eyes and ears tell you doesn’t match up with the motion of the rest of your body, it can induce wooziness.

Mental Health Risks

Overstimulation, panic attacks, addiction, and a strong sense of fear and anxiety stemming from especially violent games can come about due to the fact that these virtual environments feel real.

Mental Health Risks

Privacy is a particular concern for users of Oculus headsets, since Oculus is owned by Facebook and these products require a Facebook login to work. There are still a lot of questions floating around about the potential for security breaches, ransomware, and identity-related scams that have some people questioning whether or not these consoles are safe to use.

Knowing Why VR Is Bad, Should I Order a VR System?

Maybe. Designers and creators of these systems understand the harm their headsets can do, and the latest models have gone a long way toward correcting issues that older models had. One of the biggest updates has been better use of eye-tracking, which has helped to reduce eye strain and headaches. Most VR systems also allow you to set a safety boundary when you start playing and warn you if you’re about to move outside of that area.

In the end, knowing the risks of VR and understanding why virtual reality is bad can help potential buyers minimize the potential negative effects of these systems and keep themselves safe while having fun

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Gone are the days of experts worrying that virtual reality could cause irreparable damage to the brain. In fact, psychological research has gone so far as to use VR to treat a wide range of psychological disorders. With 1 in 4 people at risk of needing mental health care at some point in their lifetime, the advent of being able to use virtual experiences to help patients through their problems is long-awaited.

While it is still a relatively new field that is still being tested, research on the use of VR for mental health so far has shown favorable results that suggest that psych-focused VR can be highly beneficial to patients, especially those with depression, anxiety, claustrophobia, addiction, eating disorders, or PTSD.

How Virtual Reality Helps Mental Health

Using virtual reality to treat mental health is not a new concept; it’s been used in exposure therapy for years. As VR headsets become more commonplace, it’s even easier for therapists and patients alike to access mental health treatment options. This approach is still relatively new, but it has the potential to mitigate obstacles in-person therapists face by creating either an immersive computer-generated world in VR or an augmented reality (AR) experience that superimposes content over the user’s surroundings.

These VR and AR experiences can simulate a controlled version of reality designed to enhance therapeutic efforts and facilitate a discussion enhanced by specific interventions that allow the patient to freely express their emotional concerns in a way that the therapist can understand and support.

Using Virtual Reality to Treat PTSD

Virtual reality has been particularly valuable in treating PTSD, as it can allow for the use of exposure-based therapy (EBT) in a safe environment. EBT allows the patient to be immersed in an environment that triggers memories of the trauma in small but steadily growing increments. By using EBT in VR settings, the therapist has a high degree of control over everything the patient sees. It also allows for patients to be exposed to stimuli that would otherwise be difficult to access and doesn’t require the patient to imagine their experiences, as they will be able to see the simulation  in front of them. Studies that have already been conducted speak to the effectiveness of VR EBT, but there are still ongoing studies to determine if it could be rolled out on a broader scale. To fully implement VR EBT as a common treatment method will require mental health clinicians to be trained in the use of this technology and any changes that may be needed adopt this potential treatment method. 

Using Virtual Reality to Treat Depression

People with depression usually are treated with a form of talk therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), in which a mental health professional works with the patient to teach mindfulness and give them problem-solving techniques that they can use to help themselves feel better. VR is a great alternative to this popular talk therapy option, as it gives therapists the chance to create interactive situations that teach patients to manage their thoughts, feelings, and reactions. This is especially helpful when it comes to reactions to situations that trigger depressive episodes.

VR technology allows patients to practice facing different situations as a way of training them to change or alter their reactions from negative to positive. Using a virtual world to force patients to expose themselves to different situations allows them to engage in remote sessions from the privacy of their home without feeling any shame about their feelings while still benefiting from therapy.

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As virtual reality technology progresses, it’s easier than ever to enter immersive virtual worlds that feel almost like real life. You can see in three dimensions with a VR headset, and you can hear things going on around you from all directions. But the one thing you haven’t been able to do is move your feet as you would in real life: You can jump or lean, but if you try to use your whole body to walk or run, you’re going to run into something in the real world and hurt yourself. Headset manufacturers have created systems to help keep users within a safe playing area, but it’s still possible to run into objects around you. Meanwhile, “walking” in VR without actually moving your feet takes away from the realism of the virtual reality experience. But now, the invention of the VR omnidirectional treadmill is helping to take the immersion of VR to the next level.

What Is a VR Treadmill?

A VR treadmill is a device that allows the user to walk in a way that feels natural while remaining in one place. These aren’t like the traditional treadmills used for exercising: Rather, they use a combination of a slippery platform, special shoes, movement sensors, and a tether at the user’s waist to allow the user to walk as they naturally would in any direction without actually going anywhere. The movement sensors send data to a computer that converts it to gestures inside the virtual environment, allowing the user to walk or run and feel like they’re really walking or running in the virtual world.

Can I Buy a Virtual Reality Treadmill for My Home?

Although virtual reality with a treadmill has long been limited to large spaces and commercial environments, a few brands are slowly making it possible for people to buy these devices for home use.

Virtuix Omni

The Virtuix Omni One offers unrestricted freedom of movement and is designed to be small enough to fit into any room in your home. It has a 4-foot diameter and comes with a VR headset that doesn’t need a PC or cable to work.

Kat Walk

The Virtuix Omni One offers unrestricted freedom of movement and is designed to be small enough to fit into any room in your home. It has a 4-foot diameter and comes with a VR headset that doesn’t need a PC or cable to work.

The VR treadmill price for both of these options is fairly steep, but for huge fans of virtual reality gaming who would also like to get exercise in while they play, VR with a treadmill can be a great investment in both health and entertainment.

VR Games to Play With a Treadmill

You can play any existing VR game with a treadmill if it supports free locomotion. Some top-rated games to play with an omnidirectional treadmill include:

• Elite Force
• The Exorcist: Legion VR
• VRZ Torment
• Nature Treks
• Affected: The Manor
• Vindicta

As more omnidirectional treadmills become available for personal use, it’s likely that more games will be designed with this technology in mind.

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Virtual reality has the power to change a lot of industries, but it’s having an especially large impact on the world of health care. Doctors across the spectrum of health services have used VR to improve their practices and the quality of care their patients receive. Here are a few ways VR has been changing health care.

Training

One of the most prominent ways VR is helping health care improve is in the training offered to doctors, nurses, and specialists. Surgeons especially benefit from VR training: It offers them a chance to practice their surgical methods and skills in an environment that poses no risk to patients. Doctors are getting experience that’s true to life without the pressure that comes with knowing that beginner mistakes will affect a real person. This allows surgeons to enter the field more prepared than ever. A Harvard Business Review study showed that surgeons’ skills improved massively after VR training.

Empathy

VR is meant to immerse the user in new experiences, so it makes complete sense that it can let users step into situations that are new to them to increase empathy. Some hospital staff have been offered VR simulations of extreme situations and conditions that patients live in so that those treating them can have a deeper understanding of what patients are going through than they would get simply from learning in a classroom. And with VR, doctors who treat people with dementia can see the world through their eyes. It has also been used to simulate what it’s like to be the caregiver for someone with Parkinson’s or other debilitating illnesses.

Education

Just as medical staff do, patients often need medical information and education. VR can help patients get a better understanding of diseases and injuries they or their loved ones experience. VR apps can demonstrate how ailments affect the body and how the best treatment methods work. Virtual reality programs have been used to teach patients more about nutrition and the effects that different diets have on the body, and cardio exercise programs in VR offer a fun way to help people get in shape.

Recovery and Physical Therapy

VR also works great in a physical therapy session. It offers engaging new ways to get patients to exercise during recovery while being monitored for potential risks and mapping their progress. Some programs have even used machine learning to tailor treatment to each specific patient’s needs.

As technology improves and headsets become more and more affordable, VR is sure to impact the medical field even more profoundly, giving us all a better experience with health care.

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Humans are inherently social creatures; without cooperation, we would not have survived as a species and created the societies we have today. We make friends, we form relationships, and we join groups of people with common interests. But for some people, socialization doesn’t bring a feeling of connection; it brings apprehension. People with social anxiety struggle with fears of being judged and see socializing as a form of stress.

Therapy can be a great way for people with social anxiety to work through their issues. The most common forms of treatment are cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy. This combination slowly exposes people to stressful social situations while teaching them coping methods and allowing them to practice what they’ve learned. However, since exposure therapy requires the patient to be placed in a triggering situation, it can be traumatic, especially if the therapist cannot control this exposure. But as virtual reality technology becomes more affordable and more commonplace, more mental health professionals have turned to using VR for social anxiety treatment.

How VR Social Anxiety Treatment Works

Using virtual reality for social anxiety treatment has a variety of benefits, starting with the fact that the patient doesn’t have to travel to a stressful setting, which they may find difficult. All that the person needs to do is show up to their therapy session and don a VR headset similar to those used for gaming and entertainment.

While wearing the VR headset, social anxiety patients are dropped into a simulated social situation. Their therapist can watch how they react and provide coaching, feedback, and stress-management techniques to help them through the situation. The therapist also has control over the simulated environment: If the patient is struggling too much, the program can be stopped and modified to make it easier.

Finding a VR Social Anxiety App

Multiple virtual reality social anxiety apps have joined the market since headsets have become more affordable. Many are meant to be used in professional settings, but some can be used by anybody who has access to a VR headset.

• OVRcome: This exposure therapy smartphone app includes VR simulations and comes with the headset you’ll need to use it.

• Sightly: Work through different stressful scenarios with this app, including asking questions in a class, taking criticism, and being teased.

• VirtualSpeech: Try self-guided training sessions that can improve your ability to speak in front of others.

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Virtual reality technology has a wide variety of uses, from practical to entertaining and even life-saving. The aviation industry has used VR for years to improve worker training and reduce airline fatalities by nearly 45%. Health care is another field where lives are on the line, and increasingly, medical professionals are also using VR to improve their training. Medical errors in the healthcare industry are now the third leading cause of death in the United States, but the hope is that that can be reduced with the help of more effective training methods.

Improving Patient Care With Virtual Reality in the Operating Room

Learning to perform surgery is no easy task. Research shows that a surgeon needs to perform a procedure at least 50 times to become fully proficient at it, but when that practice happens in the operating room with a real patient, even under supervision, dangerous mistakes can happen. In smaller hospitals and those in more rural locations, it also may be difficult to get the needed experience; surgeons might go months between procedures of the same type, which slows their learning process. However, in a virtual reality operating room, surgeons can practice procedures over and over again until they’re confident in their abilities without endangering real patients.

Virtual reality training improves operating room performance by placing doctors in an immersive environment just like a real OR and allowing them to get hands-on experience with a simulated patient. Surgeons can practice different procedures, learn to handle complications as they arise, and explore subtle differences in anatomy that can affect how a surgery needs to be performed, all without any risk to a real human being. They can also learn new techniques or refresh their memory on situations they don’t often face. These simulations can also be used to test a surgeon’s skills and assess whether they’re ready to operate independently. With VR, practice really can make perfect, and patients can get the best possible care.

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