Coral Reefs: A VR Experience

VLAD61. ca. 2022. No title. National Geographic

Summary

This VR experience is a scuba-dive tour around the coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The viewer will be taken through the clear waters to view the vibrant coral reefs and diverse marine life. By using ‘prolonged gaze’ (a tool used in VR wherein if the viewer directs their gaze at something specific for a set amount of time, an action is triggered) for five seconds, viewers will be given information about the organism of their choice.

This VR experience will not only give viewers the chance to learn about the creatures that make these reefs their home, but they will also be able to learn about the importance of reefs to life in general. Additionally, there will be an important section about the impact of Global Warming on reefs, particularly the bleaching of them, and how this effects sea life as well as human life. For example, if the viewer uses ‘prolonged gaze’ when taken over a bleached coral, they will be shown facts, such as corals provide habitats for 25% of all marine life, or that reefs provide protection from the erosion of coastlines (Reef-World , 2021), and overlayed infographics similar to those seen in Figure 2.

While there is some guiding of the tour, viewers are still able to move around and look at their leisure. A tour guide will swim ahead to the next section of reefs and wait there until the viewer reaches them. At that point, prolonged gaze will trigger the tour guide to begin swimming to the next part of the tour, and the viewer can observe the current section of reef.

The experience will be compatible with a haptic suit, should one be available (e.g. in a showcase, or demonstration). Whilst the viewer is travelling through the reefs, the suit will tighten and relax to mimic the feel of water. Also, if a creature or a reef brush over the viewer, the haptic suit will respond to make the viewer feel it, increasing the immersion. The audio for the experience will be recorded, with additional noises of native sea life used to notify the viewer when a creature is nearby to observe.

Why VR?

VR is useful for this experience as it allows the viewer to interact with the organisms that inhabit the reef, whilst providing educational resources that aim to bring the effect of Global Warming and the endangered status of the reef to attention. VR presents this information in an immersive and fun way, helping to hammer home the damage, and potential danger, of Global Warming.

 

VR also allows viewers to experience the reef without causing direct damage to it. The Great Barrier Reef is a highly popular tourist attraction, with over 2 million visitors a year travelling from all over the globe to view it, which contributes to damage via issues such as ‘...trampling, and snorkelling, pollution from rubbish and human waste...’ (Great Barrier Reef Foundation , 2022), amongst other problems.

 

Aside from this, the cost of visiting, and the marine life makes the reef a unique trip. The Great Barrier Reef is a very expensive trip that not everyone can afford to make, and the reef is home to ‘600 types of soft and hard corals... [and] 1,600 types of fish’ (Australia Post , 2018), many of which are only found in the Great Barrier Reef. Both aspects make the chance to see and learn about them a very specific and exclusive event. By using VR, it gives the ability to view these impressive reefs to those that might not otherwise have the chance to explore it.

Written by Tammy Smith
Edited by Ariel Coad

FalWriting Team