Chicago Auto Show Exhibitors Embrace Virtual Reality Technologies
Posted by:
Thomas Bunch
Chrysler and Toyota are using the Oculus Rift at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show for some interactive experiences. Virtual reality glasses, called Oculus Rift, have almost exclusively associated with video games and haven’t caught much attention with the public outside that demographic. One of the first successful virtual reality technology companies, Oculus VR was acquired by Facebook last year in March for $2 billion, and has since been broadening the horizons of VR usage in the modern day.
Toyota is using the Rift in its “TeenDrive365” experience to show the dangers of distracted driving to teenagers. The experience includes many methods to move the users’ attention away from the road including virtual friends, a radio, and traffic noises. The aim of the program is to improve teen driving and help parents talk to their children about safe driving during their first year behind the wheel.
Chrysler is also taking advantage of VR technology with their “Beneath the Surface” experience. They are using Oculus Rift to give patrons a first-person view of the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant factory floor. Participants sit in the driver’s seat of a Chrysler 200 while all around the car is being assembled. You can move your head in any direction you want which makes it seem like you are really there, which shows that VR isn’t limited to video games but can also be used in a movie-like experience.
VR is beginning to take a foothold in our tech-savvy society, and I think that in the coming years the technology will become more prevalent in the Chicago Auto Show. The purchase of Oculus VR by Facebook is a sign that VR tech will be used more often, and possibly one day used with social media integration.
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