Technology, features and articles | Educational Science

Dec 5, 2014

Virtual Reality Affects Brain's 'GPS Cells'

Virtual reality is a growing technology used in everything from video games to rehab clinics to the battlefield. But a new study in rats shows that the virtual world affects the brain differently than real-world environments, which could offer clues for how the technology could be used to restore navigating...

Feb 3, 2015

Samsung Gear VR: Virtual Reality Tech May Have Nasty Side Effects

Samsung recently released its new virtual-reality headset, the Gear VR (powered by Oculus Rift), but the product comes with a foreboding list of possible health-related side effects. The electronics giant cautions that people should stop using the Gear VR immediately if they experience seizures, loss of awareness, eye strain, nausea...

Feb 27, 2015

Virtual Reality Can Make You Forget Pain

This article was originally published on The Conversation. The publication contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. A couple of weeks from now I will be in hospital undergoing a knee replacement. It will be the most extreme surgery I’ve ever experienced and I’m pretty scared....

Mar 13, 2015

When Will Virtual-Reality Headsets Stop Making People Sick?

From the Oculus Rift headsets to the new HTC Vive, virtual-reality devices will soon be flooding the gaming market. These gadgets have the power to transport their wearers to another world, but the technology has also been plagued by some unwelcome side effects. Companies have long known that virtual-reality headsets,...

Mar 13, 2015

Drift Through a Wormhole with New Virtual-Reality Tech

AUSTIN, Texas — What if you could feel the weightlessness of drifting in space, without leaving the ground? To try it out, I strapped on a virtual-reality (VR) headset and headphones today (March 13) here at the South by Southwest Interactive conference. The demonstration gives people a small taste of...

Oct 7, 2015

Supersleuth: Virtual Assistant 'Sherlock' Uses Crowdsourced Knowledge

A new Siri-type virtual assistant promises to be as useful as the problem-solving detective Sherlock Holmes (but it’s still small enough to fit in your pocket). Developed by researchers at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom and IBM in the United States, the new software program expands on the question-and-answer...

Dec 12, 2015

Virtual Reality Tech Lets You 'Teleport' Back in Time

The feeling you got when you first saw your newborn's face. That glorious moment when the entire family was laughing over dinner. The epiphany you had when you reached the peak of your favorite mountain. If only you could travel back and experience those instances again. A group of engineers...

Dec 28, 2015

Mattel Goes High-Tech with Virtual Reality View-Master Toy

One of your favorite childhood playthings just got a high-tech makeover, thanks to a collaboration between toy-maker Mattel and Google. In October, Mattel unveiled an updated version of its View-Master — a toy that traditionally resembled a pair of plastic binoculars but was fitted with cardboard reels of photographs or...

Jan 19, 2016

Beyond Gaming: 10 Other Fascinating Uses for Virtual-Reality Tech

Gamers and gadget hounds can now get their hands on the hotly anticipated Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset: The Facebook-owned company announced the commercial release of its virtual-reality device last week at CES in Las Vegas. At a whopping $600, the Oculus Rift may seem expensive for a gaming device, but...

Mar 21, 2016

What Is Virtual Reality?

Virtual reality means creating immersive, computer-generated environments that are so convincing users will react the same way they would in real life. The idea is to block out the sensory input from the outside and use the visual and auditory cues to make the virtual world seem more real. While...

Mar 24, 2016

Porn Website Launches New Virtual Reality Section

Let's face it: It was probably only a matter of time… One of the largest porn websites has announced a new section that integrates virtual-reality tech into the adult entertainment experience. Pornhub, which boasts more than 60 million visitors a day, is teaming up with BaDoinkVR, a Barcelona-based company that...

Apr 1, 2016

Are You Ready for America's 1st Virtual-Reality Roller Coasters?

Buckle up, roller coaster enthusiasts! The amusement park Six Flags has joined forces with Samsung to bump up the thrill factor of rides with virtual-reality roller coasters that are set to be the first of their kind in North America. Virtual reality (VR) is already changing how people experience museum...

Apr 7, 2016

Revamp Your Kitchen with Virtual Reality App from Ikea

One of the trickiest parts of renovating or decorating your home can be envisioning how various pieces of furniture or appliances will look together in a room. Now, furniture-retail giant Ikea has unveiled a virtual reality experience that could make decorating decisions easy, at least when it comes to outfitting...

Apr 12, 2016

Are We Living in a Computer Simulation?

NEW YORK — If you, me and every person and thing in the cosmos were actually characters in some giant computer game, we would not necessarily know it. The idea that the universe is a simulation sounds more like the plot of The Matrix, but it is also a legitimate...

Apr 20, 2016

Why Does Virtual Reality Make Some People Sick?

Virtual reality, long the stuff of sci-fi movies and expensive, disappointing gaming systems, appears poised for a breakout. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spent $2 billion in 2014 to acquire Oculus VR and its Rift virtual-reality headsets. Google now sells a boxy cardboard viewer that lets users turn their smartphone screens...