We have looked at a lot of different uses for VR – education, health, employment, fun. And you have been hearing about the VR kits our members are borrowing from us to do some good educational programs for their schools.

This week’s VR example is a great use of the technology! When people cannot make a trip, now there can be a substitute experience that happens in virtual reality.

Check out this article about a group of older veterans, who are making a virtual trip to visit the memorials built to the sacrifices they made in their war.

Virtual reality taking vets to DC

“Every year, retired U.S. Navy Admiral Jim Hart leads hundreds of World War II, Korean and Vietnam veterans from Florida to Washington on a free, one-day trip called Honor Flight. They visit the memorials built to honor those who served.

“They came home. There wasn’t a lot of fanfare,” said Hart, president of the Space Coast Honor Flight. “They have never really been honored for what they have done.”

But with many vets now in their 80s and 90s, it’s difficult for some to make the trip.

So Honor Flight teamed up with the Hospice of St. Francis, and with the help of virtual reality, they’re making sure every veteran can experience the trip – even if it’s from their living room.

89-year-old John Schultz, who served in the Korean War, was diagnosed with a lung disease and relies on an oxygen tank to breathe – making it impossible to fly.

360 degree, 3-D video of an Honor Flight trip uploaded to virtual reality goggles allowed Schultz to take part without ever leaving the ground.

“It was remarkable,” said Schultz about the virtual reality experience. “The technology today is overwhelming.””

Read the rest of this story here.