A year-long study conducted by Duke University discovered huge benefits of virtual reality technology for paraplegics. Patients wearing VR headsets tasked to move through a stadium as a soccer player were able to regain some brain functions associated with moving their legs. Of the eight patients tested， each regained some control and four were upgraded from full paraplegics to partial paraplegics.

Virtual reality technology holds enormous potential to change the future for a number of fields， from medicine， business， and architecture to manufacturing.

虚拟现实技术潜力巨大，将会改变从医疗、商业、建筑到制造业等众多领域的未来。

1. paraplegic [?p?r??pli?d??k] n. 截瘫者；下身瘫痪患者

帮助瘫痪病人恢复身体机能

美国杜克大学开展的一项为期一年的研究发现，虚拟现实技术能给瘫痪病人带来巨大福音。戴上虚拟现实头盔的患者通过模拟足球運动员在操场上奔跑，即可恢复一部分涉及腿脚活动的大脑功能。参加试验的八位患者中，每一位患者都恢复了部分身体机能，其中四位患者从全瘫好转为半瘫。

想象一下，只需戴上一副眼镜，你就可以身临幻境，来一场虚拟却又真实的感官体验。这就是虚拟现实（Virtual Reality，缩写为VR）。虚拟现实技术的发展不仅仅会带来电子游戏方面的变革，更重要的是，它在其他领域也大有用处，将在许多方面改变未来。

To Train Medical Students

Virtual reality provides medical and dental students a safe and controlled environment to practice surgeries and procedures， allowing them to make mistakes without having any impact on an actual patient， and prepare for any unexpected situations. Performing a "hands-on" procedure and being able to interact with a virtual patient lets students develop their skills， which they can later apply to the real world.

To Treat Pain

Doctors are using "distraction therapy" through virtual reality to help people handle pain while they undergo treatments such as physical therapy. A 2011 study on military burn victims revealed that SnowWorld—a VR game that allows users to throw snowballs at penguins while listening to Paul Simon—has proven more effective than morphine2） in pain management.

To Treat Anxiety Attacks

More than 40 million adults in the U.S. experience anxiety. The VR game Deep—"a digital version of a diaphragmatic exercise3）"—looks to help those individuals deal with fear and anxiety with the use of a belt that monitors breathing. The game puts the user into a natural setting and guides them through deep belly breathing exercises—calming users in about five minutes.

To Help Children and Teens with Autism Develop Social Skills

Professors at the University of Texas in Dallas have created a program that uses virtual reality to help children with autism develop social skills. Putting kids， teens and young adults in social scenarios such as job interviews or blind dates4） with avatars5）， they learn how to pick up on6） social cues7） and respond appropriately. By monitoring brain waves throughout the program， professors noticed increased activity in areas connected to social understanding.

To Help in Business

Look out video chat， virtual reality is here. Businesses are beginning to employ virtual reality in a number of ways： to reduce costs， lessen business travel， conduct interviews， give tours， forecast trends and hold meetings. Rather than traveling for a conference or meeting， or interviewing a candidate "face to face"， companies are using virtual conference rooms. Businesses that have dangerous products or are in the early stages are using virtual reality to test safety and functionality without risking the health of employees.

培训医学生

虚拟现实技术能为医学生和牙科学生提供一个安全可控的环境，用来练习手术、熟悉流程。在这样的环境中，他们即便犯错，也丝毫不会殃及实际患者，此外还能学习处理各种突发情况。通过“动手”操作并与虚拟患者进行互动，学生可以提高他们的医疗技能，日后再将其应用到现实世界中。

缓解疼痛

医生们正在借助虚拟现实技术，运用“分心疗法”帮助患者缓解物理治疗等疗法中产生的疼痛。2011年的一项对军队烧伤患者的研究显示，已有证据证实虚拟现实游戏《冰雪世界》（这种游戏的玩法是玩家边听保罗·西蒙的歌，边朝企鹅投掷雪球）对疼痛的缓解效果比吗啡更好。……