Beyond games – military uses for VR & AR

Virtual reality and augmented reality are gradually getting into every part of our lives. Just look around and you’ll see what we’re talking about. Most people think VR and AR are used almost exclusively in computer games and they might be right to some extent, but most people don’t see everything that’s possible & happening right now. For example, we recently saw AR being used in a tank museum to show people how some tanks would look like right beside them. Another use we’ve experienced is AR being developed to be used in solving technical issues, remotely (a professional can assist a technician fix an issue using AR without even being on the site). There are many more examples like that, but today we want to talk about something the US Navy is doing right now.

In the last several years, the US Navy has been using VR for training purposes and now they will use it to recruit new members. They never considered that possibility before, but that changed thanks to the Nimitz tractor trailer driving around the US and visiting schools, setting up various special events and Fleet Weeks. There are some people who don’t join the Navy just because of the regular enlisting process/experience and this could attract some of those people to consider enlisting. Literally anyone could enter the Nimitz, put on the VR headset and try to enlist in the US Navy.

The Nimitz trailer has eight VR pods with the VR exercise that lasts about 15 minutes. Prior to doing the exercise you must register at a kiosk in a tent. You enter your name, age group and other personal information – that way they know who to contact later ;). Then they ask you to check off boxes that indicate your interest in joining the Navy and they say about 20% of the people that initially check the negative box change their decision by the end of the exercise. The trailer can accommodate around 60 people per hour and more than 25,000 people have done the exercise since the launch.

The Navy plans to come up with more VR missions that could maybe take you to the high seas or beneath the surface inside a submarine. While this kind of recruiting is new to the Navy, other branches of the military have already been using it for some time, and all that points to the fact that VR will shortly become an important tool in many industries, particularly in corporate recruitment.

There are countless practical uses for VR and AR, and we should use that to make the world a better place. Our developers at CroatiaTech can help with that by developing VR exercises for those other industries. For example, we could develop a VR exercise for firefigters to experience what it is like to be in such situations without the risk of losing their life. Another good use is a AR headset you could use to see how some new furniture would look in your living room. And of course, the best use of our team, getting your own recruitment video polished with VR to pull in extra candidates.

In the long run, we see VR as a crucial part of our daily lives, and we are certain that there are going to be far more clever uses to incorporate this still new viewing experience. What would you build? Work with us to build it.

CroatiaTech Team

Our team writes on the technology services & solutions we develop for our clients. This ranges from software development, machine learning, blockchain, internet marketing, virtual reality, augmented reality, electrical & mechatronic engineering, website development and graphic design. From time to time, we post on other random things of interest.

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