Bringing STEM Based Learning to Everybody.

The Fight Begins

We are a race of creators, builders, people that like to put two and two together and find out how to make it five. With the ever burdening reality that 'stems' from our need for more engineers, it is now that we need to bring new ideas for luring candidates into the fold.

I have been interested in 'everything' for as long as I can remember. You name it, I like it. Okay, so there are some things that don't float my boat, cricket for instance, I have never been able to get on with that sport, though strangely enough, I have always been able to bowl at a reasonable level. I have talked in previous posts about some of the things I enjoy, sometimes this leads to conflicts though, so it isn't all fun. I have mentioned the love of VR, its practical innovations have tickled me since the early 90s. Although the concepts of it were extinguished by the mid-90s, the modern resurgence of technology is showing that there are possibilities for it in our future.

It has long been my thought that VR could open up a gateway to more than just data or gaming applications. Whether it is used to teach building in a virtual environment, or perhaps utilising it for training surgeons, I believe that it has a place in education, if not many other aspects of life. What if, it could be used for emotional well-being? Could it be used to calm autism? The headsets would need to be less intrusive in this field, but the possibilities are there. The concept of Microsoft's Lens is intriguing. This allows you to create an AR (Augmented Reality) platform, placing the virtual items and scenery like a projection onto the real world. This would allow an open view for claustrophobia or those with difficulties in close proximities.

What are the options then? With a modern headset, it is easy to get drawn into the virtual scenery. I have made myself nauseous from spinning around in a sand buggy. whether it was graphically well defined or not, it fooled my brain anyway.
I have placed the applications into three distinct groups:

1. Create and Build: Use the virtual environment to produce items for certain jobs, puzzle building and solving, materials and design aspects.
2. Environmental Awareness: The virtual scenery could be used to apply happiness routines. It could allow for the user to experience calm or even seclusive scenarios.
3. Anywhere, Anytime: Fulfil fantasies, send the user to places they may never visit in their lifetime. Move beyond the bounds of economic or mental insecurities.

These three areas are the start of more to come. These can almost be seen as my own 'Rules of Virtual Engagement'. Watch this space. I wonder where I should begin?

Let me know your thoughts on VR and AR implementation. Could it help you in anyway? How would it effect our everyday lives, might it create an affect on the current social issues that digital technology is causing? For now, we can only speculate and debate.