On those two sweltering school days we had earlier this month we all could have used virtual reality to get us out of the building and escape to a less humid place. Virtual Reality (VR) technology which uses software generated images and simulates physically being present in an environment is developing at an extraordinary pace. In addition to the Oculus Rift, which you may have heard was purchased by Facebook for 2 billion dollars, VR software and equipment is offered and being rapidly developed by at least three other major manufacturers. The explosive expansion of the VR industry has been compared to the development of the Internet in terms of its impact on our daily lives.

Why is Virtual Reality the Next Big Cool Thing? Even though the technology is considered still in its early stages, some of the things you can do now are fly like a bird, engage in space exploration, sky dive, ride a roller coaster, tour a museum, or traverse a city or continent, all from the comfort of your home. There are companies that are building platforms that will allow you to virtually attend any event in the world, athletic, concert, and watch the event in real time and “look around” the artificial world. Virtual realities artificially create sensory experiences, which can include all five senses. The opportunities that VR can offer seem “virtually” limitless.

The application of VR technology already extends beyond mere entertainment and is currently in use in healthcare and business. It is a huge advantage for brand marketing being used creatively for things like the Dos Equis Halloween VR experience in which the viewer was able to walk around the Most Interesting Man in the World’s mansion. In addition, small startups are appearing all over the country doing revolutionary things with VR like recreating historical or even fictional events within the virtual world.

It may seem like this technology is not near affordable or practical enough to be in your home but these virtual environments aren’t far off from becoming a reality.