virtual reality

Virtual Reality Helps Hospice Workers See Life And Death Through A Patient's Eyes

12:18pm December 27, 2018

by Kathleen Burge

A Maine medical school and nearby hospice center are trying out a VR program aimed at fostering more empathy for dying patients among health workers-in-training. Not everyone is sold on the idea.

A virtual reality program developed by NASA could help scientists visualize the magnetic fields around the earth.

Science

NASA Taps Young People To Help Develop Virtual Reality Technology

8:02am November 24, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

Scientists at NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center are hoping to use virtual reality technology to study space, and Earth, without leaving their offices. Talented high school students are helping.

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Facebook's New Grand Plan To Draw You In

7:50am April 19, 2017

by Aarti Shahani

In quintessential Silicon Valley style, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled ambitious plans to bring users from 2D Newsfeeds to 3D imaginary worlds; and neglected safety concerns.

Author Adam Alter says that smartphones and other technologies are designed to be addictive.

Books
Arts

'Irresistible' By Design: It's No Accident You Can't Stop Looking At The Screen

2:46pm March 13, 2017

Technology is designed to be addictive, offering gratification that's similar to that of drug abuse or gambling. Author Adam Alter says a new frontier could soon provide another escape from reality.

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A Syrian woman and her child sit in their refugee living space in Lebanon. They are featured in Four Walls, a virtual reality presentation by the International Rescue Committee.

Can Virtual Reality Make You More Empathetic?

4:46pm January 09, 2017

by Laura Sydell

Charities are using virtual reality to immerse people in the plight of refugees and others who need help. Researchers are studying whether it's more effective than other media. And there are skeptics.

Arts

UNCSA To Build New Institute With $10 Million Gift

4:17pm December 12, 2016

by Bethany Chafin

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts has received an anonymous $10 million gift – the largest gift from an individual donor

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At Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Calif., riders of the New Revolution Virtual Reality Coaster wear VR goggles to play a video game while the roller coaster twists and turns.

On Six Flags' Virtual Reality Coaster, The Ride Is Just Half The Thrill

1:09pm August 22, 2016

by Corey Takahashi

Magic Mountain in Southern California has a roller coaster in which riders put on VR goggles to see an imagined world while their bodies undergo the physical thrills. How is it? We get a review.

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Virginia Anderlini (right) was the first private client to try out Dr. Sonya Kim's new virtual reality program for the elderly, and says she's eager to see more. Kim's handful of programs are still at the demo stage.

Virtual Reality Aimed At The Elderly Finds New Fans

5:29pm June 29, 2016

by Kara Platoni

Some doctors are finding that virtual travel — to Venice, a Hawaiian beach or Africa — can open new worlds to people confined by low mobility, dementia or depression.

Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus VR, demonstrates the new Oculus Rift headset during the "Step Into The Rift" event in San Francisco in June 2015.

Virtual Reality Whiz Palmer Luckey: Future Will Be 'More Boring Than We Think'

3:55pm March 29, 2016

by NPR Staff

The 23-year-old founder of Oculus VR says sci-fi writers love to use virtual reality as a backdrop for conflict, but the future is "probably not going to be nearly as interesting."

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UmmaGawd (Tommy Tibajia), a pilot in the Drone Racing League, flies his quadcopter in an abandoned power plant in New York.

Sports

A Video Game IRL: Drone Racing League Aims To Be NASCAR In The Air

8:58am January 31, 2016

by NPR Staff

Goggles and onboard cameras put pilots and spectators in the cockpit as the drones race at high speeds through crazy courses. The Drone Racing League's first season kicks off next month in Miami.

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