Look, let’s just state the facts: for a lot of children – and more than a few adults – learning new things can be a bit on the boring side. Sure there are those who delight in every new factoid they can pick up, but for many trying to understand biology, geography, or physics can be a downright drag.
One of virtual realities great promises is that it would make education both more accessible and more enjoyable to a much larger swath of the population. In these early days of VR, there are certainly some experiences that qualify as educational but they are few and far between. Now, however, the immersive education company Unimersiv is bringing the promise of VR powered education a bit closer to its ultimate fulfillment by launching a dedicated VR app that is chock-full of experiences that both teach and entertain.
Baptiste Greve is the founder and CEO of Unimersiv and he was able to fully explain exactly what this new VR app is, and what he hopes it will accomplish in the realm of VR-powered education.
The current version of the Unimersiv app is available now on the Samsung Gear VR and will “publish soon” on the Oculus Rift, according to Greve. The app currently contains three experiences: a trip to outer space, a visit to Stonehenge and a journey through the cardiovascular system.
Greve explains that the ultimate goal, however, is to expand Unimersiv’s lineup to include, “10 to 15 educational experiences by the end of the year.”
Some of these experiences will be free, while others will cost a small fee. Greve also made it clear that, “We will open the platform to developers to let them publish/sell their own educational experiences on the Unimersiv app.”
Strategies like this turn Unimersiv in to more of a platform for VR education content, rather than a one off experience built around a single concept.
VR has massive potential to completely reorient the way we educate both our children and ourselves. Applications like these are not the final evolution of this emerging industry, but they are certainly a step in the right direction.
