Abstract
VR (virtual reality) technologies can elicit in participants the illusion of being present in a simulated reality. Throughout history, science and technology have co-evolved in complementary processes. Scientific discoveries have helped develop new technologies, and at the same time, new technologies allowed non-cumulative breakthroughs in research. We suggest that VR may revolutionize human behavior research and teaching, almost in the same way that the telescope advanced astronomy and the microscope advanced biological research. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these immersive technologies have scaled in use and adaptation. Academic papers and commercial applications are evaluated in this review. Furthermore, expert individuals are interviewed to account for the true nature of the advancement of immersive technologies due to the pandemic. We show that significant advancements were achieved in the educational framework using immersive technologies. Furthermore, we discuss the elevation in collaborative work using VR, either in large quantities in conferences or smaller groups, as a collaboration framework for coworkers. Next, we discuss the changes and opportunities in behavioral research that result in the necessity to exit the lab and create a global ecosystem to supply participants with remote evaluation methodologies named remote XR. Moreover, we discussed conceptual changes that accrued within the clinical communities that are believed to affect the technological adaptation of immersive technologies as part of clinical work and patient treatment plans and evaluation procedures in the future.
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Associate Professor of Strategy and The Akzo Nobel Fellow of Strategic Management.
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Dean of the Arison School of Business.
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https://altvr.com/: AltspaceVR is the premier place to attend live shows, meetups, cool classes, and more with friendly people from around the world.
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Giron, J., Latar, N.L. (2022). The Impact of COVID-19 on the Dispersion of Immersive Technologies and Human Behavior Research and Implementation. In: Einav, G. (eds) Transitioning Media in a Post COVID World. The Economics of Information, Communication, and Entertainment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95330-0_7
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