You’re not empathetic enough… but can VR fix it?
Friends With Holograms' Cortney Harding says VR can have a positive social impact
Virtual realism
Friends With Holograms develops VR training scenarios with actors rather than computer-generated models.
“There’s no way you’re going to get get the same emotional investment and impact from talking to a cheap video game character as you are by talking to somebody who’s a real person, or in our case, an actor,” says Harding.
The company also focuses on making the experience interactive. In the child welfare simulation, the agency used voice recognition as an input system.
Passive observation, says Harding, can’t match the sense of realism produced through interaction.
Harding is also exploring the integration of biometric analysis. The idea is that measurements such as body temperature and heart rate can provide clearer indications of how a user feels during a situation.
VR needs
Friends With Holograms customizes each scenario to the specific needs of the client.
“The first question I always ask is, ‘How do you want someone to feel when they take the headset off? That determines everything else,” says Harding.
She also emphasizes the importance of putting people in simulations that match their real-life experiences.
Her company is currently applying this approach to a project focused on racial bias. While some developers argue that VR can be used to embody another person — such as a woman of color — Harding thinks this underserves an individual’s world experience:
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Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.
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