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Cognitive psychology and neuroscience meets computer science with the virtual reality headset developed at the University of South California Institute for Creative Technologies Mixed Reality lab.

Researchers like Mark Bolas, the associate director for Mixed Reality research and development, are working on creating a very real and holistic experience for an individual. Bolas and other researchers are working on developing a headset that combines perceptual illusions and optical illusions into a virtual whole new world.

Cara Santa Maria, a Huffington Post science correspondent, tried out the headset and described the experience as stunningly authentic. The environment created by the headset takes haptic perception, visual perception, audio, and emotions into account to become a whole new form of authoring environments.

The headset can create any environment. The first that comes to mind is gaming purposes, but Bolas argues that there’s nothing you can’t do. Situations like surgeons preparing and practicing for surgery and army simulations are potential uses for the virtual reality.

For the next step, Mixed Reality wants to aim to look at training high school students in physics. There are also “take with you kits,” that transform the big headset into a portable, do it yourself, virtual reality viewer for your iPhone or Android (News - Alert).

Available in the App Store or Android Marketplace, the FOV2GO can trick someone into thinking they’re seeing 3D through a mobile device. It’s a software and hardware kit that supports the creation of immersive virtual reality experiences using smartphones. “Tales from the Minus Lab” is the first smartphone app, which demonstrates what the platform can do.

Creating environments isn’t the only use of interactive and virtual software. EON Reality Inc., the world’s leading interactive 3D software provider, announced the first installation of EON Interactive Mirror. The interactive 3D retail solution enables customers to virtually try on the latest spring fashion ‘on-the-go’ in a fun and engaging way.