A Scope on Virutal Reality

In class two weeks ago my classmates and I presented our second, “App Smackdown.” In other words, we were asked to find one useful app regarding our major and present it to the class. As a health science major, it made sense for me to choose an app about the human anatomy. The app I chose to use was, Complete Anatomy. This app displayed every part of the body with its name and description. I was able to zoom in on one body part specifically, in order to prevent confusion. I found it very interesting that the app had a virtual reality option. Ironically, right after my classmates and I presented, Professor Calderwood showed us a few virtual reality tools as well. A few of these devices were, Quiver, the Merge Cube and Google Cardboard. 

Google Cardboard is a virtual reality platform developed by Google. It is used with a head mount for a smartphone. Named for its fold-out cardboard viewer, the platform is as a low-cost system to encourage interest and development in virtual reality applications. As explained in this article, Google Cardboard has been used as a tool to comfort young patients in hospitals. This low cost technology, allows you to watch virtual videos from any virtual angle. As a child in a hospital, being able to visualize something besides a hospital bed and a nurse is very comforting. This device helps occupy patients while they spend countless hours in hospital beds. The goal of using google cardboard in hospitals is to allow the patients to comfortable rather then scared of their environment. Along with this device, hospitals have other things to occupy young patients. “We have preparation books. We have dolls that we use for medical play to help kids understand why they’re here,” Luksa said. “This would just be another resource for us to use that maybe would give a kid another opportunity to understand their process or their illness.” 

After learning about virtual reality tools, I thought it was interesting to read the article, Virtual Reality can show others what autism feels like. In September, at the Victoria and Albert museum in London, Beholder was a introduced as tool to understand what an autistic individual visualized. The project’s creator, Matt Clark, has a severely autistic 15-year-old son, Oliver. “He can’t talk; his behaviors are extremely challenging,” says Clark. Clark built Beholder so he and others could see the world through his son’s eyes. He collaborated with artists who either are on the spectrum or have family members who are. The project exemplifies a new approach to the use of VR for autism. Personally, I enjoyed reading this article because it offers a unique usage of virtual reality. As stated, “no other medium comes as close to putting you in someone else's shoes.”

Another very interesting article I read is called, How Augmented Reality Will Make Surgery Safer. Augmented reality has the potential to alter medical procedures forever. As explained, technology such as, MRI’s, CAT scans, and Mammography’s have made some of the biggest medical advancements in the past ten years. These devices have revolutionized how doctors use imaging in performing procedures. A new study has shown the virtual reality can have the same impact on health advancements. The images of augmented reality are not displayed from the perspective of the viewer, but from the imaging device itself. Doctors have to use skill and imagination to understand and mentally project the images into the patient while they are doing procedures. Research at the Maryland Blended Reality Center’s “Augmentarium,” AR applications are being tested. As stated, “In envisioned application, a surgeon using an AR headset such as Microsoft’s HoloLens would be able to see digital images and other data directly overlaid on her field of view. In such a scenario, the headset might display a hovering EKG with vital signs and data on the characteristics of the patient’s aneurysm directly above the surgical field.” The surgeon wouldn’t  have to look away from the patient to gather and interpret this information. This would allow for the procedure to go smoother and faster.

In class this past week, my classmates and I were asked to present our, “Social Media Etiquette” projects. I chose to do my project on a woman named, Justine Sacco. Justine Sacco was fired from her job as a public relations executive after she posted an extremely unprofessional tweet on Twitter. The tweet stated, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I'm white!” Sacco tweeted this right before her flight to Africa took off so she had no idea that it went viral almost instantly. Her boss stated that the tweet was outrageous and that he didn’t want the company to be represented like that. Sacco received tons of hate messages and was the top trending story on Twitter. An impulsive tweet resulted in the loss of her job. All it took was one irresponsible post to alter her entire life forever. As Sacco learned, it is essential to think before you post on social media. Although social media is mainly used for leisurely purposes, if not used wisely, it can result in a lifetime worth of consequences.

As a second year college student, I am always working on presentations. Chapter 3 of, Untangling the Web, explains in depth four different useful presentation tools. The first tool addressed is, Slideshare. Slideshare is is a web based slide service. Users can upload files as a PowerPoint, PDF, Keynote or OpenDocument. Slide decks can then be viewed on the site itself, on hand held devices or embedded on other sites. Another presentation tool addressed is Polleverwhere. This tool is used many by teachers as a way to interact with students. Polleverywhere transforms one-sided presentations into conversations with an audience. “This web-based audience response system lets you embed interactive activities directly into your presentation.” The audience responds on the web or on their phones. Ironically, my Phonetics teacher used this application last week to review for our midterm. This tool allowed my teacher to see how well the class understood the material. The third application described in this chapter is, Voicethread. Voicethread is a service that allows users to upload PowerPoint slides, videos and photos. Users can add voice narration to create a multimedia presentation and add their own comments to the presentation via voice or text. Lastly, Prezi was addressed. Prezi is a presentation site where you zoom in and out of visuals and texts. It is very similar to a power point, except you do not make slides. Instead, you make one big Prezi and zoom in to different views. You can show a Prezi to others on a computer through your Prezi account, or you can link to them. Personally, I find Prezi to be very complex, it is definitely not my favorite presentation tool listed.