I assume driving tanks is difficult, mostly because the vehicle is less “windows” and more “opaque metal”. When the bullets are flying it’s probably not a good idea to stick your head out and try to see where you’re going. The Norwegian army has elected to solve this problem with virtual reality. In this video, we see Norwegian soldiers navigating city blocks using the virtual reality technology known as Oculus Rift. Using civilian technology and design, the tank operator can “see” through the sides of his vehicle with a 185 degree range of motion. This application is much more cost effective than the army’s current option, comparing $10,000 cameras to $2,000 cameras, and the Oculus Rift’s fairly modest price of $350 to the army’s $35,000 current VR headset.

What Sparks Our FIre: Creating applications for technolgy that may save lives in the future.

What other uses can you think of for VR headsets?