Local Virtual Reality Brands Are Coming

BAU News - VR1 BAU, Türkiye's first university investment in virtual reality, established last year at BAU Galata Campus in collaboration with Bahçeşehir University (BAU) and CRYTEK, celebrated its first year.

At the event celebrating the first year of VR1 BAU, the first of its kind in Türkiye and the world, innovations in virtual reality in the world and in Türkiye, the virtual reality projects carried out by VR1 BAU in Istanbul, statistics for 2016 and targets for 2017 were shared. At the event, which was also attended by representatives of companies in the sector, participants had the chance to experience virtual reality projects.

"WE WANT TO REACH OUT TO THE WORLD"

Speaking to DHA about the past, present and future of VR1 BAU, VR1 BAU Laboratory Board Member Güven Çatak said: "Last year we opened with the slogan 'We are not late this time.' We believe that local brands will emerge this year, especially from the games and education applications we will develop. In fact, we want not only to stay local but also to reach out to the world. Since this is a field in which we started working at the same time as the rest of the world, we think such products will come out of this laboratory."

A TECHNOLOGY BUILT ON EXPERIENCE

Stating that at first they wanted to introduce this technology to people, Çatak said: "Because this is a technology built on experience; explaining it is not enough, you need to try it. It has become a technology that attracts the interest not only of young people, designers, developers and artists but also of the sector, and we have hosted many companies here."

THE FIRST YEAR WAS DEDICATED TO R&D

Noting that the sector wants to do many things in this field but that the technology is very new and requires patience, Çatak said: "This technology has not yet reached consumers to the desired extent. Last year was mostly about research and development, but this year we think virtual reality products will reach consumers."

IN WHICH FIELDS WILL VR PRODUCTS BE SEEN MOST?

Commenting on which fields VR product projects will mostly cover, Çatak said: "Many new projects will emerge in the gaming sector. Facebook is among the major brands investing in this field. We think work on this will also start in social media. In education, virtual reality products seem likely to be used extensively. We think this technology can be offered as a solution for equal opportunity in education. Of course, this technology first needs to spread and become cheaper."

2017 WILL BE A YEAR OF PRODUCTION FOR VR1 BAU

Providing information about the projects they developed over the past year, Çatak said:

"There are gamification projects entering the entertainment sector. There are research and development projects. For example, there is a project working on phobia treatment. There is a project on language education. Virtual reality is expected to play an important role especially in distance education. We even have a project on viticulture training. 2016 was mostly about setting up a committee, introducing people to this technology and providing training. This year, VR1 BAU will turn into a production line. We hope 2017 will be a year in which more projects and success stories emerge."