Remote Control and Military application
Main Points at the bottom
My idea for the Oculus Rift would be to implement it into a R/C environment such as R/C (remote control) aircraft, cars, boats etc (toys). Obvious benefits of this would be an increase of the general experience by being able to trick your mind into thinking it is in the vehicle that is being operated. Throw in a mic on the vehicle and some 3D headphones and prepare for a new experience entirely.
Another idea is implementing this system into military applications. UAV pilots could use it to give them a more realistic view of what is going on around them which would provide them with better battlefield awareness, and better depth perception. It could also be used to replace a lot of existing hardware that tank gunners use by getting rid of mounted view screens and creating a helmet mounted device with the ability to switch between cameras and gain 360 degree awareness. This also translates into other military vehicles such as troop carriers. Machine/aircraft gunners could also use this which could increase, again, battlefield awareness, depth perception, and make shooting external mounted weapons feel more natural when combined with other technologies which would integrate the user to the weapon system.
Obviously the military already has similar systems in place, it's just a matter of upgrading the systems and removing a lot of bulky monitors. If most of the soldiers riding in a HMMWV were equipped with this, you would be able to maintain 360 awareness that is actually better than looking out the window due to being able to use an optical zoom. The main point of this idea is better integration of the weapon system to the soldier. Perhaps the future of being a machine gunner in any vehicle would be being able to freely move your head and look where you want then hit a button and sync with your weapon and immediately put rounds down range, all while within the relative safety of the vehicle.
The most immediate use for this device would be military training. You could set up entire buildings that would have similuated projections for environmental details to the Oculus Rift. Troops would be able to practice combat maneuvers with simulated enemies through these buildings, and each scenario could be different. This would bring a sense of realism to training that hasn't been seen before. The job that I currently serve in has a training device that is overly expensive and ineffective that serves a similar purpose.
I think that the main reason that the military hasn't done this with non-stereoscopic headsets is due to a few reasons:
-Cost
-Images are limited to a narrow screen
-Images are unrealistic
-It doesn't provide enough integration
Beneficial points
-More enjoyable R/C vehicle/toy experience
-Increased battlefield awareness for the soldiers and their commanders
-Integrate soldiers with hardpoint mounted weapons
-Increased depth perception and reality when tied to appropriate optics
-Getting rid of bulky monitors in both command posts and vehicles
-Provide the potential for a higher degree of viewing field vs. standard optics/monitor viewing field that also feels natural
-Extreme training for a variety of situations
Vision
-Have a simulated experience that ties in with real life, ie. flying toy airplanes that make you think you are actually in them
-Someday have a weapon system where you plug in and you think that the weapon is your arm, simply point and destroy. This would implement multiple pieces of technology that are already available. It's only a matter of merging them
-Augment reality using the Oculus Rift in conjunction with cameras, optics, and software
-Provide training to troops that enhances their experience
My idea for the Oculus Rift would be to implement it into a R/C environment such as R/C (remote control) aircraft, cars, boats etc (toys). Obvious benefits of this would be an increase of the general experience by being able to trick your mind into thinking it is in the vehicle that is being operated. Throw in a mic on the vehicle and some 3D headphones and prepare for a new experience entirely.
Another idea is implementing this system into military applications. UAV pilots could use it to give them a more realistic view of what is going on around them which would provide them with better battlefield awareness, and better depth perception. It could also be used to replace a lot of existing hardware that tank gunners use by getting rid of mounted view screens and creating a helmet mounted device with the ability to switch between cameras and gain 360 degree awareness. This also translates into other military vehicles such as troop carriers. Machine/aircraft gunners could also use this which could increase, again, battlefield awareness, depth perception, and make shooting external mounted weapons feel more natural when combined with other technologies which would integrate the user to the weapon system.
Obviously the military already has similar systems in place, it's just a matter of upgrading the systems and removing a lot of bulky monitors. If most of the soldiers riding in a HMMWV were equipped with this, you would be able to maintain 360 awareness that is actually better than looking out the window due to being able to use an optical zoom. The main point of this idea is better integration of the weapon system to the soldier. Perhaps the future of being a machine gunner in any vehicle would be being able to freely move your head and look where you want then hit a button and sync with your weapon and immediately put rounds down range, all while within the relative safety of the vehicle.
The most immediate use for this device would be military training. You could set up entire buildings that would have similuated projections for environmental details to the Oculus Rift. Troops would be able to practice combat maneuvers with simulated enemies through these buildings, and each scenario could be different. This would bring a sense of realism to training that hasn't been seen before. The job that I currently serve in has a training device that is overly expensive and ineffective that serves a similar purpose.
I think that the main reason that the military hasn't done this with non-stereoscopic headsets is due to a few reasons:
-Cost
-Images are limited to a narrow screen
-Images are unrealistic
-It doesn't provide enough integration
Beneficial points
-More enjoyable R/C vehicle/toy experience
-Increased battlefield awareness for the soldiers and their commanders
-Integrate soldiers with hardpoint mounted weapons
-Increased depth perception and reality when tied to appropriate optics
-Getting rid of bulky monitors in both command posts and vehicles
-Provide the potential for a higher degree of viewing field vs. standard optics/monitor viewing field that also feels natural
-Extreme training for a variety of situations
Vision
-Have a simulated experience that ties in with real life, ie. flying toy airplanes that make you think you are actually in them
-Someday have a weapon system where you plug in and you think that the weapon is your arm, simply point and destroy. This would implement multiple pieces of technology that are already available. It's only a matter of merging them
-Augment reality using the Oculus Rift in conjunction with cameras, optics, and software
-Provide training to troops that enhances their experience