Tech

Metaverse Trouble: ER Fills With VR Crashes

If you die in the Matrix, you die in the real world. It is one of the first lessons that Morpheus gives to good old Neo. In the case of the metaverse, everything seems to be going the same way. Deprive you of your vision, touch and hearing with a virtual reality headset It can be fun for a while, but it can end in tragedy if we’re not careful or have someone around to keep an eye on you. The accidents with virtual reality equipment are becoming more frequent, but fractures are paid in the real world.

VR headsets break records… and legs too

This past Christmas, the VR Headset from brands like Oculus have flown from the shops. In 2021, these products had an increase in demand for more than 70% compared to the previous yearaccording to the agency International Data Corp. It is estimated that, throughout the past year, almost 8 million virtual reality headsets Worldwide. It is not surprising with the situation we are currently experiencing. With mobility limitations, social distance and home confinements, it seems tempting to put on some glasses and live a few more fun experiences.

However, there are cases that go wrong. to the poor Toby Robicelliof 14 years, the illusion of Christmas day did not last long. Six hours after receiving the gift from him, the boy was on his way to the ER. Apparently he lost his balance while playing Superhot VR-a shooterdo not think badly—, fell to the ground and broke his kneecap. Her mother also ended up in the X-ray room, because when she saw her son’s leg, she fainted and also hurt herself when she collapsed. Come on, they started the day with a headset and ended it with a crutch set.

This is just one case from the huge list of cripples victims of virtual reality. Dislocated shoulders, broken legs and smashed televisions are more common than it seems. There are cases of cuts while practicing virtual boxing or even friendly fire in the living room, accidentally hitting children, partners and pets while practicing tennis. This already happened at the time with the Nintendo Wii, but virtual reality adds more points of dangerousness by depriving the user of his senses.

Of course some responsible for Sony and Meta have made some public statements to prevent their customers from getting hurt while enjoying virtual reality. According to these spokespersons, it is essential clear the surroundings before starting to play to virtual reality. In the same way, they recommend the buyers of these products to study the safety handbook of the devices. Doctors have also spoken about it. Jay Kim, Professor of Environmental Health at Oregon State University recommends taking frequent breaks, interrupting the game to avoid the dreaded gorilla arm syndromewhich is a very intense muscle pain produced when we spend a lot of time with our arms raised, similar to carpal tunnel syndrome.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *