One might think that extended reality only belongs in the world of video games or entertainment, but nothing could be further from the truth. Extended reality technologies, whether augmented, mixed, or virtual, are just means to expand our reality and create things that would be impossible to have in our reality.

If I told you that you could create anything from your imagination, what would you create? Obviously, we would create incredible stories, immersive experiences, cast spells like a freshly graduated wizard or witch from Hogwarts, and see creatures that we could never see in any moment of our lives. That's why virtual reality is so successful for the entertainment industry.

But, let's take a moment to think: you can create anything that couldn't exist in reality. What if we thought about other sectors and applied this premise? I promise you, the results are impressive. If you think virtual reality is just another toy, I invite you to keep reading about examples that exist today of this technology that will change our future in ways we can't even imagine.

Playing to save lives

Imagine that we are medical students and we need to practice before starting to work. In other jobs this is simpler, but you will understand that getting the "raw material" to practice an operation is much more delicate. There are currently several specialized applications to simulate surgical operations realistically, which are based on 2 principles: practicing immediately and being able to fail without fear of consequences, and repeating as many times as we want. We understand that in medicine, you only fail once unfortunately, since there is no "undo" in real life. Allowing students to make mistakes is a great reinforcement for their learning.

There was a much-publicized case in Brazil where they had to face a separation operation of two siamese babies joined at the head, one of the most complicated due to its high probability of failure. A simulation was created in virtual reality specialized in this case and the doctor was allowed to practice many times within this safe environment, and then go to the real operation and save the babies. In any case, it had to be done right the first time, as there would be no second chance. Well, this doctor did it. The operation was a complete success and was published by all the media.

We are used to hearing that an airplane pilot practices numerous times in a simulator, with different scenarios and situations, before flying a real plane. Now we can do the same with more complicated professions. Let's see another example.

Precision OS is a company that develops realistic surgical training in virtual reality.

High risk? Where?

There are professions where people risk their lives every day. I'm referring to jobs in industries, offshore oil platforms, mining, or more commonly, firefighters. In these positions, every day is a risk, so occupational risk protection is crucial.

Now, let's think about the training that these employees must receive before starting to work. How do you teach about an offshore oil platform without putting your students at risk? How do you take someone to a mine or to operate heavy machinery? How do you teach an astronaut to move in zero gravity outside the spacecraft? You might think with a manual. Although this is essential, in-person practice is extremely important and this is where virtual reality plays a fundamental role. It allows creating safe environments where students can experience these situations and learn more effectively.

For example, there are virtual reality training for firefighters in which students are put into various situations to practice the actions and maneuvers they must perform. The interesting thing is that the possibility of dying in various ways is also implemented, so that students can practice in these situations and fail without fear of being electrocuted, drowned, or burned.

I had the opportunity to design an experience for a Spanish energy company to train employees in the maintenance of wind turbines, which are those modern white windmills we see when traveling on the road. The virtual reality experience taught employees how to access the turbine, safety actions both below and above, and to identify all the necessary components of the vault machinery. This also resulted in a significant reduction in training costs. Think about where these turbines are located: in the middle of nowhere! Imagine having to organize an excursion to teach these people how to do their job well. Referring to the manual is essential, but in-person learning is also very important, so we were able to achieve it and the employees were very happy.

FLAIM is a company that develops virtual reality simulations of real-world emergency situations to provide safe and effective training for firefighters.

A magical cure

For me, one of the most beautiful uses of virtual reality is the treatment of patients with neurological problems, musculoskeletal problems, or chronic pain. Currently, in careers such as physiotherapy, virtual reality is taught as a method of rehabilitation and is applied as a treatment for various pathologies. The isolation produced by virtual reality can be beneficial for these patients. Specialized games can be provided in the treatment that include activities designed to move in a certain way. In this way, the exercises are much more entertaining. But entertainment is not the only benefit of using virtual reality for these practices.

For example, patients with cognitive problems tend to be easily distracted, which complicates the execution of the exercise. Isolating these patients within an experience where they only do one exercise in a controlled environment free of distractions is more beneficial for them and easier to follow.

Another example is patients with chronic pain. Pain has associations, and normally if a certain movement causes pain, repeating it in isolation or in a daily environment will create pain. Currently, virtual reality allows these patients to dissociate these movements from pain, causing them to focus on playing while unconsciously performing the movements. This causes them much less pain, so they can practice more often and improve sooner. For example, if standing up from the sofa causes pain, virtual reality can provide a game that makes us dodge objects where we have to squat and stand up while playing. It has been proven that with this method, patients experience less pain.

A final example that I want to highlight of how virtual reality can help patients is the treatment of phantom limbs. Phantom limb pain is present in people who have had a limb amputated. It occurs when the brain, not detecting a part of the body and not understanding what is happening, generates the most basic survival response: pain. Remember that virtual reality allows creating anything that could not exist in the real world. Why not create a virtual leg for a person who has had an amputation? Currently, this is what is done with these patients: they put on the glasses and see a virtual leg as real as possible in the place of the amputated one. When the brain sees that the leg is there, it calms down, so to speak, and stops causing pain, regardless of whether the leg is virtual or not. For those interested, this is known as mirror therapy and is widely used in these cases.

The Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute develops treatment therapies for phantom limb using virtual reality.

Your chance to create the unimaginable

I hope these small examples I have selected seem interesting to you and arouse your curiosity to see how these principles could be applied in other different sectors. Think about an architect who needs to present his model, why not show the building at full size and take a walk inside? Why don't industrial designers show you the car they have created and simulate what the driving experience is realistically like? Or why don't we practice kayaking without needing to go to the reservoir or the river? All of what I mention exists, and the possibilities are endless, especially in the field of professional training.

Remember, virtual reality allows us to create a safe environment, in which we can be present in any situation, whether realistic or not. Now that you know a little more about this world, what are you going to create?