You’ve probably seen people wearing VR headsets, looking amazed and awestruck, and thought it’s just for gaming and fun. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg—VR’s potential goes far beyond entertainment, and in this article, I’ll show you just a glimpse of what’s possible.
But before that, let me explain what virtual reality is.
VR Reality
When TV was invented, it was revolutionary. Before that, words were humanity’s greatest invention , which made books such a valuable commodity. Then came TV—no need to go to theaters, no time constraints. You could stay home and watch people and places on a screen. Amazing, right?
Now VR takes it further. You don’t just watch—you walk through scenes, handle objects, and feel them. Thanks to 3D near-eye displays, VR lets you step inside the story. You aren’t just watching—you’re living it.
VR Reality Development
When we talk about VR, it’s not just software—we’re also talking hardware; headsets and other immersive setups, like multi-projected environments, make up the hardware. The software is what developers design: the environment, the objects, the sounds, and how realistic it all feels. And it’s always customized for the needs of each industry. So, VR development is the process of creating that virtual world—the environment, objects, sounds, and interactions—by the developer.
Now that you know enough about VR, let’s dive into its applications.
Healthcare in VR
If I said that in the future, people wouldn’t hate being hospitalized like they do now, would you believe me?
It’s already happening; we don’t need to wait to see it.
A patient goes through a medical procedure while feeling awe and amazement. Why? Because he’s wearing a VR headset, and sees himself flying in a helicopter over a stunning landscape. That’s a complete contrast to the hospital visits I remember; I always hated them.
But why does it matter, really?
Almost every profession is crowded with competition, and medicine is no exception. With more doctors than ever, patients have a tough time choosing. Sure, word of mouth, a great attitude, and accurate diagnoses matter a lot. But in today’s competitive world, there’s another way to stand out: keeping patients entertained, during painful procedures. The doctors who use this kind of tech are already steps ahead of those who don’t.
Driving in VR
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people struggling with driving. But if they could try it in VR first, the stress would disappear; they now have the mental energy to focus on practicing and learning technical stuff.
When you watch the funniest car accidents, you realize it’s often not about not paying attention—it’s about not knowing what to do in certain situations. Driving has specific actions you need to take, and the only way to learn is practice. VR lets you do that in a stress-free, cost-free way. You can crash, get hit, and experience it like real life—but the lesson sticks, and you’ll never make the same mistake on the road.
Let’s not forget driving instructors. Just one look at driving instructors and you’ll see—they’re probably the most frustrated professionals out there. It gets even worse when someone who’s never touched the wheel comes in. In the future, it won’t be uncommon for pupils to go through a custom VR setup first, learn the lessons without destroying anything, and then get in the real car.
Product design and production
Daniel Priestley, a successful entrepreneur, told Ali Abdaal how he attracts customers: build a prototype instead of pitching an idea.
Why does this work? Because human beings naturally resist new ideas. If you just tell people about a product, the instinct is to reject it. But the resistance drops once they actually see it. It’s like saying no to food at first, but later, seeing it on the table, you can’t resist.
But building prototypes takes time and resources; Priestley himself pointed out, once customers see it, they often suggest changes—like tweaking the color or design—which means more rounds of work.
Now imagine if businesses applied this philosophy using virtual reality: instead of investing in physical prototypes, companies could design their products virtually and let potential customers interact with them before a single item is manufactured. Customers could walk around the product, see it in different colors, even test its features—all in VR.
This would bring huge time and cost efficiencies. Even for companies that never used Priestley’s prototype method before, a VR “product showroom” could attract more customers by making ideas feel real without the upfront production costs.
Architecture and construction
My parents’ house is awful—not the memories, but the construction. The building is so inefficient it feels like a joke: rooms in the wrong places, a tiny kitchen, pointless corridors wasting space; it’s more like navigating a castle than living in a home. Twenty-five years later, there’s no way to fix it; the only solution is to tear it down and start over.
Looking back, all of this could’ve been avoided if the design had been tested in virtual reality before the construction began. If we had been able to walk through the house in VR and actually see the layout, we would’ve instantly spotted the wasted space, the awkward corners, and we definitely would’ve kicked those architects out. But when designs are only explained in abstract terms, especially by architects or engineers, you really don’t know what you’re agreeing to until it’s too late.
Sure, people will say that design has come a long way since then, and now things are more modern and efficient. But even the most efficient, trendy design doesn’t guarantee it fits your personal needs. The house I live in wasn’t built for me; I need a home office for my work, but the previous family didn’t. That one difference makes the house feel off for my life.
Sometimes I imagine what the perfect layout would look like, but I worry: what if the idea in my head doesn’t match reality? Making changes costs money, and once you commit, there’s no easy way to go back. That’s why I see so much potential in using VR for home design. Imagine setting up your dream layout virtually, walking through it, and seeing if it truly works for your lifestyle—before you spend a single dollar on construction.
Employee and apprentice training
Some businesses are so unique that it’s nearly impossible to find the “perfect” employee for them. Because of their newness or niche nature, there simply aren’t people out there with the exact skill set required. So what usually happens? Companies either hire someone with basic knowledge and train them—or search endlessly for the ideal candidate.
The problem with waiting for the perfect hire is twofold: it takes too long, and if such a person does exist, they’re often highly skilled, which means higher salaries and bigger expectations. On the other hand, when you bring in apprentices or people who are just starting out, you get hardworking individuals with lower expectations—but then training becomes the real challenge. And let’s be honest: training costs time, money, and patience.
This is where virtual reality could change everything. Imagine having an entire VR training setup where new employees can go through realistic simulations tailored to the company’s needs. Instead of making mistakes in the real world—mistakes that could cost clients or damage reputation—they make those mistakes in VR, learn from them, and come out better prepared.
There are industries where the stakes are much higher. Think about environments where employees work directly with heavy machinery, complex tools, or hazardous materials. In these cases, it’s not just about mistakes costing time or money—mistakes can put human lives in danger.
For factory owners, risks come in two forms: danger to the workforce and potential damage to costly machines; while automation has reduced some of these risks, many industries still rely heavily on human workers to operate equipment, handle materials, and keep things running.
But with the right VR setup, companies can recreate every detail of the work environment—every switch, every lever, every step of a process—and train workers to handle it all virtually before they ever set foot on the factory floor.
Education
Have you ever seen a kid actually excited about going to school? I haven’t—and if I did, I’d swear it was some rare, exceptional creature.
I remember having almost no interest in geography. But now, considering how much I love nature, it hits me: if school had technology like virtual reality back then, things could have been different. Imagine exploring mountains, waterfalls, or even handling rocks and minerals in a virtual environment, seeing their textures and colors up close. Experiencing these things interactively would have sparked curiosity and a desire to understand the “how” behind it all.
Visuals are a powerful tool in learning—they make concepts come alive and the process much easier.
Custom VR development doesn’t just make learning way more fun—it also cuts down the risks that usually come with things like chemistry class and experiments. Teaching staff do their best to make experiments safe, but risk can never be completely eliminated. With the right app, students could conduct all sorts of experiments in a completely safe virtual environment.
This is especially useful for students who, despite warnings, tend to ignore instructions—mixing chemicals they shouldn’t or taking unnecessary risks. In virtual reality, they can try anything they want without danger.
Public Speaking
Fear of public speaking is one of the most intense fears, often ranked higher than fear of heights or even death in surveys.
A well-designed VR app can help people confront this fear safely. It can simulate worst-case scenarios: mispronouncing words, awkward pauses, or even audience laughter. Through repeated practice in this virtual environment, the user can see that even the “terrible” outcomes aren’t truly catastrophic. Ultimately, the people who matter—your family, close friends—are still going to love you.
Going through this kind of VR simulation allows the person to realize, borrowing a line from Seneca, that “we suffer more in imagination than in reality.” The fear exists mostly in the mind, not in real life. Some public speakers overcome this fear after months of stage experience, but many never take that step. A specifically designed VR setup can give them the same opportunity to practice, build confidence, and reduce fear—without stepping onto a real stage.
Medical Students
Earlier, I described how patients’ negative experiences in hospitals often keep them from seeking treatment—even for serious health issues. But let’s not forget the people on the other side: doctors.
Medical students go through an incredibly intense and complicated education. I often see their posts on social media complaining—or even crying—about the vast amount of material they have to absorb in a very short period of time, sometimes within a single term.
In Make It Stick, there’s a chapter that tells the story of a medical student who learned most of this difficult material quickly and rose from the bottom of the class to the top. The technique he used is called active retrieval or active recall. Instead of passively memorizing or reviewing material—which can create the illusion of learning—active recall forces you to retrieve information from memory.
So, what does this have to do with virtual reality? Well, if a simple technique like active recall—testing yourself on material instead of just rereading or highlighting—can help a student go from the bottom of the class to the top, imagine the potential of VR in medical education.
With custom VR development, medical schools could create immersive environments where students explore the human body in vivid, realistic detail. They could see organs, tissues, and processes up close, interact with them, and learn through experience rather than memorization alone. This kind of visual and interactive learning could lift a huge burden from medical students.
Visuals are powerful. A YouTube channel that teaches science through animation proves it—its lessons are utterly captivating. The founder tells how one teacher transformed his learning: bored and struggling in class, he finally connected when the teacher used visuals, and everything clicked.
It also reminds me of how I understand even the most complicated historical theories when I watch YouTube videos that use maps and visuals effectively. History could have been exciting for students if they could step into a VR world, see how wars unfolded, and experience the tragedy and excitement of the moment. The teacher wouldn’t have to yell at kids to pay attention. Humans don’t care about facts and information until they feel something toward them. To truly engage students, we need to spark an emotional connection.
This is just a general look at what custom VR development can do. In future articles, I’ll explore how it applies to specific industries. Curious how custom VR could work for your ideas? Grab a time to chat, and I’ll show you what’s possible.
Can VR be used for driving?
Yes. VR lets learners practice driving in a safe environment, without damaging a car. Once they train in VR, moving to the real world becomes easier, and mistakes, accidents, and stress are greatly reduced.
How can doctors use VR to stand out in a competitive field?
Doctors can use VR headsets to immerse patients in calming experiences, like flying over a beautiful island, helping them forget the pain of procedures. The result? Patients are more likely to return to them rather than stressful, boring doctors.
Does VR help medical students learn faster?
Absolutely. Visuals already make learning faster, so adding VR accelerates the process even more.
Does VR make education fun and interesting?
Yes! For years, everyone agreed learning should be fun, but students often hated it. Now, with VR, education can be both fun and amazing.
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