Skip to main content

Virtual Reality project crosses the species boundary

by Futures Centre, Oct 23
1 minute read

A study published in September 2016 by a collaboration of American scientists from the universities of Stanford, Connecticut and Georgia, demonstrates that virtual reality can be used to help people feel a part of, and better understand, the natural world by enabling them to experience the sensory perspectives and bodily movements of other life forms.

The 54 participants selected and involved in the immersive experience, in which their head movements were tracked in a three-dimensional world, were enabled to see the world of the future through the eyes of a cow or a coral reef.

As cows, the participants wearing virtual reality headsets were left to walk around a virtual pasture on all fours, being jabbed by a cattle prod and told they were going to be loaded onto a truck. Those as a coral reef saw their own body ‘corrode’ and the ocean around them decay as a result of ocean acidification.

By immersing themselves in the experiences of another species rather than simply watching the scenes on a screen, both of which were part of the study, the participants reported having enhanced feelings of interconnectedness and involvement with nature.

Details

by Futures Centre Spotted 1998 signals

Have you spotted a signal of change?

Register to receive the latest from the Futures Centre.
Sign up

  • 0
  • Share

Related signals

Our use of cookies

We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We'd also like to set optional analytics cookies to help us improve it. We won't set optional cookies unless you enable them. Using this tool will set a cookie on your device to remember your preferences.

For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our Cookies page.

Necessary cookies

Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.

Analytics cookies

We'd like to set Google Analytics cookies to help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone. For more information on how these cookies work, please see our 'Cookies page'.

>