Sensor for smart textiles survives washing machine, cars and hammers

If the smart textiles of the future are going to survive all that we throw at them, their components are going to need to be resilient. Now, researchers have developed an ultra-sensitive, seriously resilient strain sensor that can be embedded in textiles and soft robotic systems. It could be used in everything from virtual reality simulations and sportswear to clinical diagnostics for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's Disease. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/38MC9PB

Virtual reality forests could help understanding of climate change

The effects of climate change are sometimes difficult to grasp, but now a virtual reality forest, created by geographers, can let people walk through a simulated forest of today and see what various futures may hold for the trees. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2Upzsux

Virtual Reality health appointments can help patients address eating disorders

Research has revealed that Virtual Reality (VR) technology can have significant impact on the validity of remote health appointments for those with eating disorders, through a process called Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET). via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2HoxuYu

New virtual reality software allows scientists to 'walk' inside cells

Virtual reality software which allows researchers to 'walk' inside and analyze individual cells could be used to understand fundamental problems in biology and develop new treatments for disease. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2GT47gT

'Universal law of touch' will enable new advances in virtual reality

Seismic waves, commonly associated with earthquakes, have been used by scientists to develop a universal scaling law for the sense of touch. A team used Rayleigh waves to create the first scaling law for touch sensitivity. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2GObxSo

Virtual reality trains public to reverse opioid overdoses

The United States has seen a 200% increase in the rate of deaths by opioid overdose in the last 20 years. But many of these deaths were preventable. Naloxone, also called Narcan, is a prescription drug that reverses opioid overdoses, and in more than 40 states there is a standing order policy, which makes it available to anyone, without an individual prescription from a healthcare provider. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3mlVewk

Ambient light alters refraction in 2D material

Microscopic crystals in tantalum disulfide have a starring role in what could become a hit for 3D displays, virtual reality and even self-driving vehicles. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2Z0Ey3r

Study evaluates immersive virtual reality as a sleep aid for teens

While teens are encouraged to turn off electronics before bedtime, a new study suggests that visiting a virtual environment may benefit their sleep health. Researchers evaluated the efficacy of a novel intervention based on virtual reality and slow breathing to promote bedtime relaxation and sleep in high school students. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/34zErPL

A Raspberry Pi-based virtual reality system for small animals

The Raspberry Pi Virtual Reality system (PiVR) is a versatile tool for presenting virtual reality environments to small, freely moving animals (such as flies and fish larvae). The use of PiVR, together with techniques like optogenetics, will facilitate the mapping and characterization of neural circuits involved in behavior. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2ZrNmQa

Getting real with immersive sword fights

Sword fights are often the weak link in virtual reality (VR) fighting games, with digital avatars engaging in battle using imprecise, pre-recorded movements that barely reflect the player's actions or intentions. Now a team has found a solution to the challenges of creating realistic VR sword fights: Touche - a data-driven computer model based on machine learning. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2Yrfwug

New device simulates feel of walls, solid objects in virtual reality

Today's virtual reality systems can create immersive visual experiences, but seldom do they enable users to feel anything -- particularly walls, appliances and furniture. A new device, however, uses multiple strings attached to the hand and fingers to simulate the feel of obstacles and heavy objects. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2xk7FE8

Video game experience, gender may improve VR learning

Students who used immersive virtual reality (VR) did not learn significantly better than those who used two more traditional forms of learning, but they vastly preferred the VR to computer-simulated and hands-on methods, a new study has found. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2Ji6G9H

Physiotherapy could be done at home using virtual reality

Virtual reality could help physiotherapy patients complete their exercises at home successfully thanks to researchers who managed to combine VR technology with 3D motion capture. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2TpOyzy

Virtual reality could help flu vaccination rates

Using a virtual reality simulation to show how flu spreads and its impact on others could be a way to encourage more people to get a flu vaccination, according to a new study. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2DG6aj5

'Epidermal VR' gives technology a human touch

Researchers have developed a new thin, wireless system that adds a sense of touch to any virtual reality (VR) experience. Not only does this platform potentially add new dimensions to our long-distance relationships and entertainment, the technology also provides prosthetics with sensory feedback and imparts telemedicine with a human touch. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2Ot9VNX

To navigate, flies make flexible mental maps of the world

Flies use visual cues to finesse their mental maps of the environment. Two new studies use virtual reality to show how. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/336suwB

Is virtual reality the next big thing in art therapy?

Researchers have conducted a study to see if virtual reality can be used as an expressive tool in art therapy. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/32GRryu

Immersion in virtual reality scenes of the Arctic helps to ease people's pain

Watching immersive 360 videos of icy Arctic scenes helps to relieve intense burning pain and could hold hope for treating chronic pain, a small study has found. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2K5Q8CU

New photonic liquid crystals could lead to next-generation displays

A new technique to change the structure of liquid crystals could lead to the development of fast-responding liquid crystals suitable for next generation displays -- 3D, augmented and virtual reality -- and advanced photonic applications such as mirrorless lasers, bio-sensors and fast/slow light generation, according to an international team of researchers. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2rr9Fac

Intuitive virtual reality: Bimodal 'electronic skin' developed

Through the crafty use of magnetic fields, scientists have developed the first electronic sensor that can simultaneously process both touchless and tactile stimuli. Prior attempts have so far failed to combine these functions on a single device due to overlapping signals of the various stimuli. As the sensor is readily applied to the human skin, it could provide a seamless interactive platform for virtual and augmented reality scenarios. via Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2qUpbv8