One of the biggest challenges in VR has always been how to make it feel as close to real life as possible. One huge aspect of this is movement and developers are constantly getting closer and closer to giving users a feeling of realistic movement while in the VR world. But how is this achieved and what applications does it have in the professional world?
Degrees of Freedom
Degrees of freedom (Dof) is a term normally used in statistics to denote the number of values or variables which are free to change independently. In VR, this translates to the freedom of an object to move within 3D space. Different VR headsets allow for varying degrees of movement within the virtual reality space but generally have 3Dof (phone-based headsets, such as Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard) or 6Dof (PC-based and standalone headsets, such as Oculus Quest 2, HTC Vive and Pico’s Neo 3 Pro).
When an object moves through 3D space, it has six possible directions of movement. These are the translational movements, which are straight-line movements forwards/backwards, left/right and up/down, and the rotational movements of pitch (tilting forwards or backwards), yaw (turning the object left or right) and roll (tilting the object left or right).
With the use of a phone’s inbuilt sensor, 3Dof headsets provide the simplest form of user tracking in VR, only detecting the user’s rotational movements. 6Dof headsets offer a much richer experience by using external sensors or those attached directly to the headset to plot all six movements, allowing the user much more range of motion and making the virtual reality space far more immersive.
How 6DoF can Change the Way we Work
Over the past year, many companies have been forced to move meetings online, normally using Zoom or some other hosting platform. This has brought its own problems, with participants divided into tiny, uninspiring boxes on a screen. Hosting a meeting using a 3Dof headset would improve the experience somewhat but it is still limited. Indeed, 3Dof experiences are usually based on the user simply looking around a 3D space from a static position and can end up feeling quite passive.
The 6Dof experience offers something truly revolutionary in the world of business. No longer are the user’s movements limited to simply looking at a screen or viewing a VR space from a static position. Now, the user can experience a meeting as though they are there in the room. The VR host can create the space they want, whether it be a meeting room, a lecture hall or even an arena, and can move freely around it, interacting with other participants as they would in a real 3D space. And the participants can do the same, provided they have a headset too, making this the ideal way to, for example, present a prototype of your product for people to move around and interact with – and all in real time.
In recent years, these benefits have been taken a step further with the development of standalone 6Dof headsets, such as the Oculus Quest and Pico Interactive’s Neo 3 Pro, which have allowed users to move away from their cumbersome PCs, making remote collaboration easy and convenient with a much higher level of comfort than previous, PC-bound models. In fact, Mazer and other cutting-edge platforms have stopped using 3Dof technology altogether as contemporary 6Dof options have made them virtually obsolete.
To learn about the practical use of 6DoF, visit mazerspace.com.
Choose 6DoF and revolutionize your business
As we have seen, 6Dof VR technology offers a truly realistic alternative to face-to-face meetings. In the ever-changing world of business, it will be necessary to adopt solutions such as this to maximize profit while maintaining a high standard of work and customer service. The level of interaction now possible in VR spaces, especially that offered by standalone 6Dof headsets, will make it possible to arrange effective meetings, conferences and training without having to spend money on travel and accommodation, without attendants having to deal with the stresses of time away from home and jet lag, and without the added cost of hiring large spaces to host your event. On top of this, with participants fully immersed in the experience, there will be no more distractions from the world around them, so information retention will undoubtedly be improved. And as a final added bonus, carbon emissions from foreign travel will be significantly reduced.
So, what are you waiting for? Start adopting 6Dof VR technology today and see where it can take your business.
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