Let’s start with a simple concept. When we talk about the virtual reality we mean a combination of hardware and software capable of creating a virtual space, where the user can move around. Thanks to virtual reality viewers, such as Oculus Rift or Oculus Quest, one can interact in new simulated realities, where our eye can perceive the surrounding space as real; leading the user to “feel” as if he or she were somewhere else.

What does this have to do with emotions? How can virtual reality and also artificial intelligence help us to get closer to reality? As we have just described, visors interact perfectly with our senses: sight, hearing, and touch. These psychological stimuli make it possible to simulate actions, fooling our minds and perceiving them as real. The actions we can perform in virtual environments are twofold: on the one hand, we can navigate, i.e. move without restrictions; on the other hand, we can interact, e.g. with objects. Our eyes are focused on the 3D and 360° experience, allowing the user to avoid external distractions. In addition, many viewers are also equipped with audio, to which headphones can be plugged in, allowing our hearing to be kept occupied. For this reason, a well-designed experience with well-defined graphics and interaction can arouse emotions such as joy, happiness, or anxiety.

VRAINERS has taken a step forward by incorporating artificial intelligence, or voice command, into virtual reality. This means that not only are we able to see, hear and interact with surrounding objects, but we can also communicate vocally with the environment or a virtual avatar. The VRAINERS team in recent months has focused on combining virtual reality and artificial intelligence, creating a perfect marriage that gives the user an increasingly realistic simulation.

Bibliography

Ferrero, I., 2019. Emozioni, Così Le Tecnologie Le Stanno Cambiando: Gli Studi | Agenda Digitale. [online] Agenda Digitale. Available at: <https://www.agendadigitale.eu/cultura-digitale/come-le-tecnologie-cambiano-le-nostre-emozioni-gli-studi/>.

Sallusti, A. and Vigo, F., 2020. Ora La Realtà Virtuale Produce Emozioni Con Tutti I Sensi. [online] ilGiornale.it. Available at: <https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/tecnologia/ora-realt-virtuale-produce-emozioni-1420432.html>.

Susindar, Sadeghi, Singer, Ferris and Huntington, 2019. The Feeling Is Real: Emotion Elicitation In Virtual Reality. [ebook] Available at: <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1071181319631509>.

Tecnologia.libero.it. n.d. Realtà Virtuale, Come Funziona La Tecnologia Per I Mondi Digitali | Libero Tecnologia. [online] Available at: <https://tecnologia.libero.it/cose-e-come-funziona-la-realta-virtuale-933>.

Author:

Matteo Zaralli – Founder

Fulbright Fellow, Author, MSc in Business Administration and Philosophy.