5 VR Safety Concerns You Never Thought About

Virtual reality has taken the world by storm. And if you are looking to use VR (as opposed to say, augmented or mixed reality) for personal or business purposes, you might be tempted to jump right in and ride the trend for fun or profit. But before you do so, there are some things that you need to consider, such as the safety aspects of it all. Here are five safety concerns you probably never thought about:

1. Injuries from Lack of Perspective

When you immerse yourself in a VR environment, the only thing you can see is what is projected by the goggles. This throws off depth perception and your ability to gauge your surroundings as you normally would. Because of this, pay particular attention to the potential for injury by leaning too far forward to reach for an object in the VR world, as well as stumbling into real-world obstacles. Be sure to pay attention to yourself as well,as you might get dizzy or nauseous depending on your own personal reaction to the game, this is called virtual reality sickness, and it can be quite the bummer to deal with.

2. Colliding with Other Players

Many VR games do center around combat or two player competitions. Whether it is swinging a sword or wielding a heavy “gun” or some other tool in your hands, the potential for colliding with other players using your body or weaponry needs to be top of mind.

3. Eye Strain

The human eyes were designed to look out into nature, and definitely not designed to see through VR goggles for hours on end. While VR, as far as we currently know, will not cause you significant eye issues, you’ll most likely be blinking less, and coupled with the strong emission of light, you can strain and fatigue your eyes. Make sure to take breaks at decent intervals to give your eyes a rest.

4. Liabilities from a Legal Aspect

This one might only apply if you’re an owner of a VR shop, as there are somethings you might want to consider in terms of safety. Back when the Wii from Nintendo came out, many people injured themselves, properties, or others when using the console’s remotes. This resulted in various lawsuits for Nintendo because of the injuries suffered. We’re not implying that this will be the same case, but keep in mind that VR headsets completely take a person away from real-life obstacles, and the risk of injury (and potential legal action) can be just around the corner. This can be the case if the injury happens on your premises, as it can be grounds for someone to file a personal injury claim against the owner of the facility or against another user.

5. Liquids and Circuitry

While the worlds in VR are not real, the machinery that powers it is. This means that any kind of drink or other liquid spillages near the machine can damage it. Even worse, if it fries the circuitry, there is a risk of electrocution. Again, make sure you’re playing in a clear area, where others know exactly what’s going on, and can prevent drinks and other liquids from being around you.

Virtual reality is one of the most groundbreaking technologies to come on the market yet, for both practical and entertainment uses. Because of this, there is a lot of excitement about the potential applications, and there should be, as there’s a bright future ahead for it. But regardless, you need to keep safety in mind with VR. The safety issues above are something to plan around and mitigate, so you don’t end up with people hurt or property damaged.