Technology, features and articles | Educational Science

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...

May 20, 2016

VR at Cannes: How Will Virtual Reality Change Film?

The 2016 Cannes Film Festival, which began May 11 and runs until May 22 in Cannes, France, featured a festival first: screenings of virtual reality (VR) short films and presentations in a pavilion dedicated exclusively to VR. But not everyone is convinced that virtual reality should be part of cinema's...

Jun 15, 2016

Get in the Action: 'Transformers' Director Tackles Virtual Reality

It looks like Michael Bay is jumping on the virtual reality bandwagon. The director, known for Hollywood blockbusters such as The Rock, Armageddon and Transformers, is joining forces with The Rogue Initiative, a production studio that specializes in creating interactive virtual reality experiences. The partnership was announced today (June 15),...

Jun 22, 2016

Virtual Reality Could Be Film's Next 'New Wave'

A good movie can transport audiences, taking them to other worlds and briefly immersing people in characters' lives. And with virtual-reality technology, movie writers and directors have more tools at their disposal than ever before to create immersive experiences. Danish filmmakers Johan Knattrup Jensen and Mads Damsbo and their production...

Jun 29, 2016

Real-Life Holodeck? 'Star Trek' Tech Uses VR to Solve Global Problems

On the cult sci-fi TV show Star Trek, crewmembers aboard the USS Enterprise could explore simulated environments or participate in interactive virtual experiences — anything from walking around lush forests to trying to solve a Sherlock Holmes-style mystery — as a way to mentally escape the confines of the starship...

Jul 14, 2016

Oculus Project Lets You Feel in VR without Gloves

Haptics are a happening area in virtual reality these days. The term refers to devices and technologies that produce tactile sensations to go along with all those immersive visuals and sounds. The makers of the Oculus Rift, along with parent company Facebook, are working on a potential haptic add-on to...

Jul 25, 2016

'The Hubble Cantata' Weds Live Music with VR Views of the Cosmos

An event combining virtual reality and live musical performance aims to bring together a 20-piece orchestra, a 100-person choir and breathtaking views of the cosmos captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. And it's going to be available to the public for free. The Hubble Cantatawill premiere in Brooklyn, New York,...