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Most commonly used today for entertainment and education purposes - such as in gaming, healthcare and warfare situation planning - virtual reality has the potential to enrich human experience, in a way that’s radically different to the real world.

 

These simulated worlds could one day see humans live, love and work predominantly in a virtual existence - a metaverse - rather than IRL.  

 

Improvements in hardware should remove some of the physical barriers to how people currently experience virtual reality. Instead of needing to put on headsets, such as VR glasses, nanotechnology may be seamlessly integrated into us, with electron inputs and outputs in our brains enabling virtual experiences at any time.

 

The software is also likely to radically improve, with virtual reality becoming more physical and sensory oriented, not just visual and auditory.

 

It could transform our notion of distances, bringing us closer to the people we love most. The experiences would be as realistic to the senses as actual reality.