5G Empowers Virtual Reality for Future Education

Consider living in a world where people, gadgets, buildings, and infrastructure all communicate with one another. Doctors can perform surgeries from thousands of miles away in this world; can can drive themselves; buildings, factories, and cities can interact with you; and you can shop, watch live sport events and attend your university sessions in VR!

We have primarily considered connectivity as being between humans or between humans and the internet when it comes to modern technology like 4G. Nevertheless, with 5G, that won’t be enough any longer.

Connecting conventional devices and gadgets to people and other devices is the obvious next step in connectivity. In actuality, the central promise of 5G is to connect every part of our environment to one another!

With the number of connected devices expected to triple and reach 25.4 billion by 2030, terms like the Internet of Things (IoT), Virtual Reality (VR), and Artificial Intelligence will no longer only have theoretical implications of what might occur in the future. All of these amazing experiences will be made possible thanks to 5G.

What is 5G technology?

5G: The fifth-generation revolution is nearly upon us. This generation promises faster systems, lower latency, energy savings, and increased capacity. 5G aims to provide network access to everyone with improved connectivity regardless of location or social standing. Remote surgery, telemedicine, self-driving cars, smart cities, smart factories, virtual reality games, shopping, and sports viewing are just a few of the innovations that 5G could enable. It intends to extend wireless internet services to the telecommunications and Internet of Things industries.

5G in India

At IIT Madras in May 2022, Union IT Minister Aswini Vaishnaw made the nation’s first 5G call. The call was made over a test network built up using entirely Indian-designed and -produced telecom equipment. This accomplishment was one of the most significant developments for the nation’s first 5G test bed and the creation of indigenous 5G Tele connectivity.

Real life applications of 5G technology

The 5G technology is truly all-encompassing. Here are some real-life applications where 5G technology is being used to transform things:

1. Smart Cities and Smart Buildings: Civic authorities will be able to manage operations more effectively with IoT (Internet of Things) sensors monitoring and collecting data on air quality, energy usage, and traffic patterns for cities. Emergency vehicles will be able to reach their destinations without interruption, smart buildings will not experience interruptions in basic amenities, and connected buildings will make remote working the norm!
2. Manufacturing: Massive amounts of data will be analysed by artificial intelligence to automated human procedures like quality control, standardisation, precision checking, and so on. End-to-end automation enabled by the IoT (Industrial Internet of Things) will enable smart businesses to use robots for hazardous or repetitive tasks.
3. Agriculture and the Environment: Data from connected devices will be transformed for proper labour allocation, cost and waste reduction, and yield. Flora and fauna monitoring and ecological balance restoration of inaccessible areas will become a reality.
4. Telemedicine and Healthcare: Remote diagnostics and procedures will become more common, and medical device implants will easily capture and transmit patient health data to specialists, allowing for early disease detection.
5. Vehicle Industry, Transportation: Self-driving cars will be able to connect with fixed roadway infrastructures and other surrounding cars in real-time.
6. Virtual reality will become more practical, enabling remote work from any location or a realistic live sports stadium experience at home. Virtual reality will also be useful for learning, entertainment, and live event experiences. The emergence of virtual shopping in numerous places worldwide will make downloading offline entertainment redundant.

Virtual Reality in Education

Learning themes practically leap off the page when augmented reality (AR) is used in the classroom! Students can explore subjects in 3D via AR, as opposed to conventional 2D teaching resources. Students can pick up and study countless educational resources, including human hearts, fighter jets, and even a T-Rex, which has several advantages for augmented reality in education.

Educational Advantages of Augmented Reality

Aside from boosting engagement and giving students access to limitless resources, augmented reality in education has many other amazing advantages. Let’s review them now!

Augmented reality increases classroom engagement! 

According to research, using AR to learn improves student attention and engagement. The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, in the United States, is a great example, with teachers using AR learning experiences as a “hook” to engage and amaze their students. The solar system, the human body, and so much more - teachers have been using augmented reality to add the “wow factor” to their lessons!

Improved interaction and communication

Augmented reality allows students to explore, create, and collaborate with their classmates. Students can interact by viewing AR resources together in real-time or by examining and discussing 3D models and worlds created by their peers. Teachers at Emmanuel College in Australia have improved interaction by having students build incredible structures in Minecraft and then explore their creations in augmented reality using Class-VR headsets!

Augmented reality = experiential learning!

AR allows students to participate actively in every lesson, stimulating their senses on multiple levels. This multisensory approach to education benefits students by engaging them with the content and improving their sensory development. Teachers at Stoughton High School in Massachusetts have been engaging students’ senses with engaging 3D models of monuments and locations throughout Spain, allowing students to embrace Spanish culture and improve their language knowledge without ever leaving the classroom!

Make memorable lessons 

Augmented reality makes learning memorable! AR enhances memorable lessons by stimulating senses and eliciting emotional responses in students. Students can, for example, examine 3D models of Hawk jets in this engaging Physics lesson from the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team - the Red Arrows - before creating their own with CoSpaces. Teachers can improve cognitive recall and embed learning in students' long-term memories by allowing students to experience these concepts first-hand.

Access to infinite resources

With augmented reality, you can access thousands of resources at the touch of a button! The days of purchasing expensive plastic models for each classroom in your school are long gone. After acquiring a solution such as ClassVR (VR & AR headsets designed for education), teachers can access all the 3D resources they require, saving valuable time, increasing accessibility, and lowering costs.

Augmented reality in education helps teachers create interactive, multisensory learning experiences that enhance student engagement and information retention while giving students access to an unending supply of content and resources. With the help of these benefits, augmented reality (AR) in education transforms teaching and learning in thousands of schools daily.