Upcoming virtual reality
Upcoming Virtual Reality Technology


Like many people by may i was having difficult time in lockdown, struggling with homeschooling stressing about work tired out by zoom calls comfort eating drinking too much and feeling nervous about venturing out for short walks let alone exercise.

My Experience with VR


And then i strapped a computer to my face and gave thin air a damn good pummelling and everything improved a little. Virtual reality role in helping me to clamber out of the lockdown blues has changed the way i think about the technology and its potential to play a meaningful role in day to day life.

What it really looks like?


I've written a fair bit about virtual reality (VR) as a medium in the past testing headsets and apps and interviewing their creators with curiosity and an open mind. Yet my professional interest never ignited the desire to spend my own time using technology that by necessity in its current iteration isolates you from the people  around you. Cue the obligatory joke that's what smartphones are for, right?)

The history of VR


The shift started in May with an impulse purchase of an Oculus quest headset and a fitness app called BoxVR. It's essentially Guitar Hero meets boxercise
you jab, hook and uppercut glowing orbs and duck or dodge barries all of which fly at you in sync with a soundtrack ranging from rock, pop and dance to drum'n bass.

 I'm not a boxer. Less float like a butterfly sting like a bee and more pant like a water buffalo flap like a tired kitten in truth. but over six weeks BoxVR became a daily habit and as good exercise should provided tha spark to go walking eat healthy and leave the giant crate of cider untouched most nights (also a lockdown impulse purchase).

Other people clearly see something in BoxVR too in July the London tech startup behind it FitXR announced a funding round of £6m from a group of venture capital investor plus the government innovate UK agency.