It is an era of virtual reality (VR)!Well, this statement is not a mere prediction based on assumptions, but one that has concrete statistics to back it. According to Statista’s projected high-adoption scenario, the economic impact of VR/AR is forecasted to amount to 29.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2020.
Over the past few years, commercially available VR gears, mobile technology that supports VR etc. have been gaining popularity. There are over 190 kinds of VR gears available on Amazon alone, and if that doesn’t say enough what does? The proliferation of VR games, maybe?
While games may not be for everyone, many have experienced simulated driving lessons in VR. The experience is unique, thrilling and scary for first timers, and exciting for others. However, the biggest virtue of it is learning without causalities. Take for instance, OSSO VR, a validated virtual reality surgical training platform that stands to revolutionize surgical training as such. Practicing surgery virtually, gives the surgeons a better understanding about human body, the possible complications etc. making each surgery thereafter safer for the patients.
VR is immersive, and this virtue often makes it a preferred choice for imparting training too. Flight simulations, astronaut training, military training have been using VR-based simulations for some time now. The reason being ‘safety’ and so shouldn’t it also be a part of safety training in general? Recreating a real like situation that represents danger to train safety workers, is not a feasible solution and very often training through texts, visual etc. fail to relay the actual depth of the situation, and hence learners may not always be prepared to face such situations when time comes. This is where VR comes in. Even the most hazardous situations can be recreated as simulations, making the learners aware of the magnitude of danger that follows any carelessness in safety measures.
Until a few years back, VR was restricted to virtual environment that could only be explored, avatars, and a few interactive hotspots. However, today it offers an explorative ecosystem where learners can learn, experiment, explore various branched scenarios etc.Some other reasons that call for the use of VR in safety training are:
- Improved Safety
VR offers a safe environment to learn, the actions taken in the virtual environment may lead to danger in the virtual world but does not affect the real world in any way. This prepares the learners to take appropriate actions when encountering similar situations. After all, what they learn by seeing and experiencing virtually prepares and hones their skills.
- Reproducing Real-like Situations
Take for instance, disaster management and the safety measures associated with it. Though the actual situation may be encountered once or twice in a lifetime, the scenario can be recreated almost to the T in a virtual environment. This gives learners a chance to acclimatize to the situation. Virtually simulated scenarios does help for a better preparation.
- Customizable Learning
VR as it states is a virtual, and hence a lot of customizations can be done at the design, interaction levels. For safety workers In Mines, Petroleum Refineries, Nuclear reactors etc. the actual plant, even machinery can be replicated for better clarity and understanding.
Virtual reality is now an affordable solution for training and hence, a great choice for safety training. VR is a great tool for learning anywhere (the location matters though, to avoid tripping-falling etc.). With the proliferation in VR gear, its affordability etc., it can easily become a part of organization’s routine safety training too. Not just that, VR based training also saves the expense related to purchase of certain equipmentotherwise required for hands-on training.
VR has great potential. If utilized well, it stands the chance to revolutionize the current training approach. If you have any situation where you intend to use VR for your Safety training, you can reach to the expert team of Knowzies @ info@www.knowzies.com and they will consult you on the same.
