The day will arrive in a few years when you need not book a ticket to a concert you have been waiting for, overcome fears to try out bungee jump or scuba diving, or think twice about going dancing in a club because of your age and physical handicaps all thanks to the virtual reality (VR) technology, claimed top experts from the industry.

The virtual reality can take a person to the site of an event, for example, a basketball game, and allow the person feel like seating at the courtside seat, closely watching the game, Brad Allen, executive chairman of NextVR Inc., U.S-based virtual reality streaming service provider, told audience at the 17th World Knowledge Forum session on the VR revolution on Tuesday in Seoul, Korea.

Another key speaker to the session was Steven Kan, Head of Global Strategy, AR and VR at Google Inc.

NextVR has been working closely with major sports leagues around the world over the last 12 to 18 months to make the experience as real and amazing as possible, Allen said. The company’s main focus is on sports and music that have billions of fans around the world. The virtual reality streaming startup currently has partnered up with Samsung Electronics Inc. in virtual reality headsets, and FOX Sports, U.S-based sports game broadcaster, for content service.

Hardware must be advanced to make VR an everyday experience. The existing VR gears are too bulky and make it difficult to have them on for more than two to three hours, Allen said.

Eventually, the gears will be in the form of lighter wearables - even in the size of contact lenses - so that the virtual and real world would become “indistinguishable.”

Another technical challenge is the physical or sensory side effects from the exposure to VR, Kan said. One feels dizzy when there is a gap between what you see and what your body feels, he said, but predicted the problems would ultimately be solved.

The VR technology is already making many changes in the medial sector. For example, the virtual reality can be used to help patients to endure a painful treatment process by immersing them in another pleasant realm and making them relax, Kan said.

By Lee Yu-sup and Oh Shin-hae

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