Where do you want to go today? Seriously. If you didn't have to go to school, your job, or even get home by five PM to start getting dinner ready. If you had the funds, a few free days, and a sense of adventure: Where would you go? Would it be to the Middle East? Travel to Rio during Carnival? Go to Disney World? Maybe travel to the Grand Canyon? That's where virtual reality comes in and that's what we're talking about in today's blog post.

Virtual Reality (VR) has been around for a few years. According to Wikipedia, "Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated scenario that simulates experience through senses and perception. The immersive environment can be similar to the real world or it can be fantastical, creating an experience not possible in ordinary physical reality. Augmented reality systems may also be considered a form of VR that layers virtual information over a live camera feed into a headset or through a smartphone or tablet device giving the user the ability to view three-dimensional images" (2)

Even though they have been around since the 1950's, over the last couple of years with Google Cardboard product and Facebook's Oculus Rift, there has been a serious investment in the technology to make it more lifelike, interactive, and create commercial products from it.

VR is a technology in search of a problem. Unlike email, social media, the internet, smartphones, and your home computer, which integrate nicely into your technology portfolio: VR is different. Other technologies blend seamlessly into your life. For VR, you have to have a reason to watch it.

Google knows this. That is why there is a "cardboard" icon on every YouTube video (making it ready for VR). Also, there is YouTube 360, which is a video shot with a 360-degree camera (think GoPro). Instead of an interviewer being in front of you, the action could be behind you, above you, below you, and you need to point your cell phone to where the action is. You can see a trend. VR is driven by the content that is available for it. Which, in some cases, helps the story. Take a look at this 360 video about the last 2% of Puerto Rican's who need their power restored from NPR (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_XRYQNS47I) Note: Grab the screen and pull it around to see everything in 360.

Here is another 360 video about life in North Korea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnEACysvsI8

Here is another video from Havana, Cuba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFxOGbqf7f8

So, that is why Google VR has introduced "Tour Creator", so anyone, from anywhere, can create a VR story and share it on their website. 

This site also connects to other VR sites such as Poly, Bricks, and others (which allow yo to create 3D objects). On the image below, click on the white circle, and receive additional information about the area. This is a "Google Expedition" of the Taj Mahal in India (https://poly.google.com/view/8v-I0wldO1r)

From your phone, you can take a series of pictures or a "photosphere", then load points where you want to be commented. After that, you publish your "photosphere" to the site. It's that simple. View the photo spere using Google Cardboard (or another VR viewer). People are taking these pictures at monuments, down the street, or even in your neighborhood. 

From the early days of search, Google has constantly provided technologies which have changed our world. the Google VR Tour Creator is no different. It provides a first-hand point of view in a technology-filled canvas. Also, bringing the world seen in "Ready Player One" closer to our fingertips. That's all for today's blog. If you have any questions, please leave them below.

Bibliography

(1)

(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality

(3)