Google cut a template out of cardboard, you know, the brown stuff used to make boxes. They added some lenses, magnets, Velcro, stickers and a rubber band. They folded up the cardboard and glued everything in place. Next, an Android smartphone running a special app was added in front of the lenses. What followed was a little magic that has enabled hundreds of thousands of people to for the first time, experience a virtual environment.
Google Cardboard is a virtual reality viewer that can be purchased or made. It was released to the public last summer and Google Cardboard product manager Andrew Nartker announced last week that more than half a million Google Cardboard kits are in users' hands. The smartphone mount is an economical way to help people understand more about virtual reality (VR) by trying it. With virtual reality(VR) or in a virtual environment (VE), computer technologies are used to create an artificial, 3D world that seems so life-like that the individual within it can believe that it is a real place. With the Google Cardboard headset the virtual environment can be explored using sight, similar to how the real world is viewed. The most famous virtual reality headset is the Oculus Rift for 3D gaming. The consumer version of the headset won't be on the market until next year when it is expected to retail for $200 - $400. A Google Cardboard-inspired headset can be had for $20, including shipping, from www.imcardboard.com. More sophisticated Google Cardboard-inspired headsets include NFC chips which trigger the launch of the Cardboard Android app automatically, or are made out of sturdier materials than cardboard. It's important to note to that Google Cardboard is for use by adults and should only be tried with caution by children. Network lag can result in nausea. Adults will stop using the headset if the images displayed by the smartphone begin “stuttering,” but children may not be aware of the need to stop using the headset under such conditions. With the Cardboard app in the headset mounted smartphone, try 3D movies, fly on Google Earth, take a tour of Versailles with a local guide and much more. Fresh updates have been released for developers so look for the virtual experiences to keep on coming. Last month, Volvo became the first automobile brand to use Google Cardboard. At the Los Angeles Auto Show, Volvo turned to Google Cardboard to enable motoring enthusiasts to test drive its all-new XC90 SUV, months before it will arrive in the US. After downloading the Volvo Reality app and inserting their phone in Google Cardboard, viewers were transported into an XC90 where they could explore and immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of the car on the open road. Get Google Cardboard and then download Volvo's app through www.volvocars.com/us/volvoreality. Google is encouraging manufacturers, large and small, worldwide to begin making Google Cardboard-inspired headsets. It has made the patterns and specifications available for free download from www.google.com/get/cardboard/manufacturers.html
