5 Industries Primed for a Virtual Reality Take-off in 2017

Virtual reality is here – and here to stay it is….with more news, content pieces, blogs, epic fail videos and more out and about with it, VR is seeping its way into just about every industry these days. But which ones does it permeate first? From our perspective, here are five Boston industries primed to takeoff with virtual reality in the next year or two.

Contact us down below (or at: base@inphantry.com) to start the conversation about crafting a personalized VR experience for your team, company or brand.

Without further a due, here are the top five industries most primed for a VR takeoff.

5. The Medical Field – Surgery & Healthcare

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Virtual reality in the medical field has been long spoken about, but rarely publicized in a grandiose way. In late 2016, VR has been making an impact by allowing doctors to practice surgeries with VR headsets, allowing stroke victims to recover by playing stimulating games, and even allowing children in hospital beds to be whisked away to magical lands, or swim with whales in the oceans. As 2017 begins, keep an entertaining eye on how and where VR could be used to enhance the medical field, allowing patients and their caretakers to train, play and recover faster than ever before. Read: 5 Ways Medical VR is Changing The Healthcare Industry

4. Treating PTSD / Autism and More

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Veterans coming back from the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and beyond have had a multitude of PTSD issues and it’s becoming a huge issue in our society today. With these individuals giving so much to our country, why is PTSD going untreated? The better question is why? With new advances in virtual reality, the American Psychological Association hopes to benefit veterans and those suffering from PTSD by using virtual reality games titled, ‘Virtual Iraq’ and ‘Virtual Afghanistan.’ By allowing some veterans to relive a variety of moments, environments and weather, some scenarios may be able to ease the soldier out of their combat related stress. A study by the Naval Office of Naval Research showed 19 of 20 veterans showed signs of improvement after utilizing virtual reality as a form of therapy. Read: Virtual Reality Tech Helps Treat PTSD in Soldiers

3. The Construction Industry

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The construction industry is quickly being revolutionized by startups and other high technology advances in the industry. For instance, Context VR, allows for construction companies, stakeholders and their regulatory agencies to implement a variety of virtual reality and augmented reality imagery and display it into a space in real time. So, whether a new building is going up, or advancements on an older one, VR is being used to upgrade an antiquated industry. From visualizing a new buildings components, or tinkering them, removing and adding certain pieces, VR and AR can be a welcome future for construction managers, supervisors, stakeholders and everyone else involved. Read: How construction companies are using virtual reality to build, plan and manage complicated projects

2. Real Estate

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This is going to be a huge year for commercial (and residential) real estate. With the global economy in the best shape in years, more companies are looking to connect virtually and will be looking to expand their office footprint. The construction industry aside, it’s a fantastic time to be in the brokerage industry for commercial real estate. That being said, with people being busier than ever before, how will companies be able to find and locate new space to move into? This is where virtual reality has the answer. We are already seeing a plethora of commercial real estate companies look into using 360 video, and integrating custom VR walkthroughs of potential spaces, allowing CEO’s, CMO’s and HR professionals to quickly asses if the new space is right for their company. On top of that, some brokerage and commercial real estate firms are ‘digitally dressing’ spaces in VR to attract and retain companies interest without ever having set foot in the space before. This allows for a smoother transition process for companies looking to move, having now gotten over the first initial reaction of seeing a very new space for the first time. Read: Rental Trends – Virtual Reality Tours For Commercial Real Estate

1. Gaming

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Let’s not forget the primary use of why VR was constructed in the first place! With a plethora of games rapidly expanding into the HTC Vive, PSVR, Oculus Rift and more, the scene has never been more set for the world’s most stimulating and exciting video games. The reason why gaming will be a 2017 tech trend is unfortunately due to the initial, exorbitant cost of VR and space required. For PC’s, you seemingly need one of the world’s best gaming computers to efficiently run a virtual reality video game. Not only that, but you need a dedicated 10×10 sq. foot space, which not everyone has within their house or apartment. With the advancements (and thanks to PSVR) VR can now be console-controlled, or used with a regular game pad. Hopefully as 2017 continues, VR gaming costs will slowly come down and more will have access to these full-immersive worlds. We will keep our eyes peeled for other trends coming out in 2017, but for now, take a peek at some of the years biggest and best virtual reality video games coming out in 2017 via the link below. Watch: Top 10 Games Coming out in VR in 2016-2017

If you’re a company or agency looking to utilize virtual reality and have a custom developed experience, please contact Inphantry at: 617-855-5154 or email us at: base@inphantry.com 

See the bulk of our previous work or email our new business manager, Cam King to get a full walkthrough of all our capabilities and experience at: cam@inphantry.com 

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