HTC announced a collaboration with NASA, XRHealth, and Nord-Space Aps to use the VIVE Focus 3 to help reduce the psychological stress of astronauts performing missions in outer space.
Through the "VR Virtual Reality Therapy" equipped with VIVE Focus 3, astronauts can experience scenes such as watching the sunset, swimming with dolphins, strolling on mountain trails, sitting on the coast, and wandering in wetlands through immersive 360-degree videos. This can reduce the psychological stress of performing missions in outer space, thereby preventing possible mental health problems during the mission and maintaining a normal mental state upon returning to Earth.
This collaboration with NASA, along with XRHealth and Nord-Space Aps, has enabled the VIVE Focus 3 to meet the requirements of the unique microgravity environment found in space capsules. Through simulation programs and dedicated controllers, the virtual vision headset can be positioned smoothly, preventing issues such as floating or rolling that could cause the headset to become inoperable in microgravity environments.
This is the first time that VIVE Focus 3 has been used in a space environment, but the European Space Agency and NASA have long been using HTC's virtual vision headsets.
For example, NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center uses VIVE Pro 2 and VIVE Tracker to train International Space Station (ISS) mission specialists. They also use VIVE Pro 2 for spacewalk emergency training. The VIVE Pro 2's virtual experience simulates astronauts being "thrown" from the space station and requiring them to use a small jetpack called the Simplified Assistance for Spacewalk Emergency Rescue (SAFER) system to try to get back to the space station.
In addition to collaborating with NASA, HTC stated that its virtual reality headsets, including the VIVE XR Elite, have been integrated into MyndVR's elderly care community service application, and are being used by NYU Langone Medical Center for surgical training using the VIVE Focus 3.
