索尔·罗杰斯

The use cases of virtual reality （VR） expand each day. It never fails to amaze me how powerful and versatile1 the medium is.

Here are just some examples of how this immersive medium is being put to good use.

Raising donations

Inspired by the bravery and courage of the incredible children fighting cancer at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital， VR for Good2， Facebook， and St. Jude came together to create a VR experience that celebrates the real stories of survivors of childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Created by BBDO3 and developed by Flight School4， St. Jude Hall of Heroes is intended to help raise donations by giving donors the chance to see where their money goes and the people that it helps. The project uses VR as a storytelling and empathy machine.

The experience is set on floating islands， each island has towering statues （heroism in battle is traditionally marked with a statue） that represent St. Jude patients and their stories. Users can walk up to these statues and hear from the patient about his or her fight against illness.

Relieving pain during childbirth

A small study has suggested that expectant mothers who use a calming virtual reality experience during labor could see their pain levels reduced. In a half-hour test conducted by Dr. Melissa Wong， an obstetrician-gynecologist5 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles， participants were asked to score the pain level of their contractions6 on a scale of 1-10. Those who used the VR headsets with the “Labor Bliss” visualization for up to 30 minutes during contractions reported an average reduction in pain of 0.52， whereas those who didnt wear the headsets experienced a pain increase of 0.58.

While this is a small study， it does pave the way for offering the technology as an alternative to other pain relievers during childbirth.

Training for high-risk situations

Doctors and nurses in the emergency room （ER） work in a high pressure， high-stress environment， which sometimes involves making critical decisions. These emergency， low frequency， high stakes procedures are “life or death” cases and require a highly-skilled， highly experienced doctor. However， because of their relative rarity， the expertise7 needed is difficult to acquire.

Medical professionals have traditionally trained on mannequins8 and cadavers9， however， this method of training cannot fully replicate the other pressures that come into play10 in a real emergency. Two doctors from Childrens Hospital Los Angeles （CHLA） teamed up with AiSolve and Bioflight VR to address this issue， by creating a virtual trauma room11 that more accurately represents how real-life emergencies may play out.

Within the experience， doctors are debriefed12 by the Emergency Medical Technicians （EMTs） on the patients condition， then they have to check vital signs， assess medication and carry out the best course of action. This is all done under a time constraint—as with a real emergency—so it requires doctors to focus and keep calm under pressure. This training tool enables trainee doctors13 to prepare for the real thing， without the fear of failure and its consequences.

Educating on racial bias

REM5， a virtual reality Lab in St Louis Park， Minnesota is using the power of immersive technology to allow students， teachers， artists， and community groups explore subjects such as racial and gender bias.

Amir Berenjian， the Co-Founder of REM5， explained， “We want to use virtual reality for good. We dont ever want to view VR as a solution， but rather as a tool for this work. The real work comes when the headset comes off.”

As part of diversity and inclusion training， REM5 put around 800 Cargill employees through the New York Times 360-degree video documentary， “Traveling While Black”. The documentary gives users an immersive experience on the challenges black people in America still face to this day. Viewers are taken on an emotional journey where they meet various African Americans and hear their first-hand experiences with racism， told through interviews and poetic cinematic recreations.

Feedback from users has been very encouraging， with many noting how much more impactful it is to experience a documentary in 360-degrees， rather than simply watching it on a TV screen.

Breaking barriers in the transgender community

Authentically Us—the first documentary VR series from Facebook and Oculus—allows viewers to step into the lives of three transgender activists who are smashing glass ceilings14 and taking action to make communities safer for LGBTQ+ people15 everywhere. Users follow Aiden Crawford， Shannon Scott， and Acton Seibel in a 360-degree video as they campaign to change legislation， raise awareness， and challenge politics.

Over three episodes， viewers come face to face with the everyday challenges a transgender person faces to live free and equal， through the viewpoints of three transgender identities： transmasculine， transfeminine and gender non-binary16.

Authentically Us has， at its core， a powerful message： those who identify outside of the gender binary are everyday people who have always been a part of our communities.

虚拟现实（VR）的应用案例与日俱增，这种功能强大、用途广泛的工具总能让我感到惊奇。

以下介绍几个利用这种沉浸式媒介的正面案例。

募捐

圣祖德儿童研究医院中一群了不起的孩子在抗癌中表现得勇敢无畏，受此启发，VR for Good、脸书和圣祖德医院联合创建了一款VR场景体验，歌颂这些患癌儿童及其他致命疾病幸存者的真实故事。

为了帮助募捐，由BBDO制作、Flight School开发的名为“圣祖德英雄堂”的VR场景体验，给捐款人提供了一种途径，让他们能够清楚捐款的流向和所帮助的人。该项目利用VR进行故事叙述，激发人们产生共情。

该VR体验的场景设在浮岛上，每座岛上都有数座高耸的雕像（通常用来纪念战场上的英勇表现），代表着圣祖德医院的患儿和他们的故事。用户可以走近这些雕像并倾听他们的抗病历程。

减轻分娩的疼痛

一项小型研究表明，临产孕妇在分娩时使用具有镇定作用的VR场景体验，可以减轻疼痛。梅利莎·王是位于洛杉矶的西达赛奈医疗中心的一名妇产科医生，她组织了一项半小时的测验，其间，要求参与者对自己宫缩的疼痛程度进行打分，分值1至10。结果显示，在宫缩期间，佩戴配备《生产的幸福》可视化场景的VR頭盔达30分钟的人，疼痛平均减轻了0.52，而那些未佩戴头盔的人感受到的疼痛增加了0.58。

尽管这是一项小型研究，但它确实能推动VR技术应用于分娩，使其作为其他止痛方案的替代选择。

针对高风险情境的培训

急诊室的医生和护士在高压力、高度紧张的环境中工作，有时需要做出一些重大判断。这些紧急、低频、高风险的手术关系生死，因此需要技术娴熟、经验丰富的医生。然而，由于这类人才相对稀缺，所以所需的专业技能较难培养。

传统上，医学专业人员利用人体模型和尸体进行训练，然而，这种训练方式无法完全重现那些在实际紧急情况中面临的其他压力。为了解决这一问题，洛杉矶儿童医院的两位医生与AiSolve和Bioflight VR两家公司合作，创建了一个虚拟创伤手术室，该虚拟手术室能更准确地展现实际紧急情况会如何发生。

在虚拟场景中，急救医疗技术员首先向医生汇报患者的情况，随后医生需要检查患者的生命体征、评估用药方案并实施最佳的治疗措施。同真实的急诊一样，上述所有程序都有时间限制，因此要求医生集中注意力并能在压力下保持镇定。该培训工具能够让实习医生为实战做好准备，同时不必为失败及其后果感到惧怕。

种族歧视主题教育

REM5 VR实验室位于明尼苏达州圣路易斯公园，它利用沉浸式技术，能够让学生、教师、艺术家和社区团体探讨种族歧视和性别偏见等话题。

REM5的联合创始人阿米尔·贝雷尼安解释说：“我们想要将VR用在好的方面。我们并未将VR视为解决问题的办法，而是将其视为一个寻找解决办法的工具。真正的工作开始于摘下头盔之时。”

作为多元化和包容性培训的一部分，REM5让大约800名嘉吉员工体验了《纽约时报》参与制作的360度视频纪录片《身为黑人》。该纪录片能够让使用者沉浸式体验美国黑人时至今日依然面临的挑战。通过访谈和富有诗意的电影再现，观众将踏上一段情感旅程，其间他们将遇见形形色色的非裔美国人，倾听他们关于种族歧视的切身经历。

观众的反馈令人非常振奋，许多人表示，比起单纯地通过电视屏幕观看这部纪录片，以360度的视角亲身体验更具冲击力。

打破对跨性别群体的隔阂

由脸书和Oculus共同推出的首部VR系列纪录片《真实的我们》，能够让观众走进三个跨性别活动者的生活。他们正打破“玻璃天花板”并采取行动让社区对于性少数群体来说更为安全。当艾登·克劳福德、香农·斯科特和阿克顿·赛贝尔为修改立法、提高大众意识或抗议政策而奔走时，观众可以在360度的视频中紧跟他们的脚步深入体验。

在总共三集的《真实的我们》中，观众可以从三个跨性别身份（跨性男、跨性女和非二元性别）的视角，目睹一个跨性别者为了自由且平等地生活所面临的日常挑战。

《真实的我们》传递的强有力的核心主旨是：二元性别以外的人就是普通人，也向来是我们群体的一部分。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）