The Apple Vision Pro has been available in US Apple Stores since the beginning of February 2024. Like other virtual reality headsets, it uses so-called pass-through video technology. However, a Stanford University researcher is now warning against wearing glasses for too long at a time.
Even before the official start of sales in the United States, the Apple Vision Pro received a lot of praise. It's not really clear what the $3,500 virtual reality glasses are for. What's clear again: like Meta Quest 3, the Apple Vision Pro aims to point users into virtual reality and perhaps replace the smartphone in the future.
However, how all this will happen is still unclear. But while the VR headset was initially praised for its technical capabilities, criticism is now mounting. The reason: the so-called video passthrough technology.
Apple Vision Pro: Stanford University researcher warns of its effects on the brain
Like the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest Pro, the Apple Vision Pro uses pass-through video technology. Specifically, this means: Cameras and other sensors record images of the outside world and display them in the device.
This creates a virtual environment that mimics reality and where applications and other virtual elements are displayed. The goal: Apple and Meta hope that this virtual reality will be so great that people will work, live and spend their free time there.
However, researchers are now warning of the consequences of wearing virtual reality headsets like the Apple Vision Pro for a long period. Fear: Devices can change the way we look at the world. Jeremy BailensonHead of the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University:
These headsets can not only add objects to the real world, but they can also remove them. What we will see is that when these headphones are used in public places, the commonality disappears. People will be in the same place while experiencing visually different versions of the world. We will lose common ground.
Virtual Reality Headsets: Side Effects of Virtual Reality
According to a team of researchers led by Bailenson, our brains will be subjected to a massive society-wide experiment using virtual reality headsets. As a result, our perception can rewire the world around us, making it more difficult to distinguish between fantasy and reality.
The short-term side effects of virtual reality are already known. For example, people tend to misjudge distances after wearing a VR headset and being in virtual reality. First of all, this is not surprising.
Even in 3D reality, our ability to determine how close or far we are is affected by many factors. However, VR headsets and virtual environments make it worse. This can be especially problematic if you are then involved in real traffic.
These side effects can be made worse by what is called object distortion. Specifically, this means: In virtual reality, objects change their size, shape and color. These distortions can later affect perception in reality because video playback cannot keep up with the processing speed and accuracy of the eye and brain.
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