Innovative Virtual Reality Technology Could End Captivity for Sea Animals

Posted by on January 14, 2016 | Permalink

In this day and age, we should know that we don’t need to capture sharks or keep them in captivity – it’s cruel and wrong, and there are better ways to learn about animals. One company that’s pioneering ways to experience the wonders of the ocean without harming any animals is Curiscope. Its virtual reality interactive experience, aimed at educating the public about sharks, has just netted the company PETA’s Proggy Award!

Great White Sharks in 360 – Virtual Shark Dive

The Great White is infamous but full of hidden secrets. Indulge your curiosity face-to-face with two adult sharks in a sampler of Curiscope's first VR 360 experience, a Virtual Shark Dive. We're building experiences to inspire, to excite, to connect and ultimately to learn from – the most inspirational way to learn is to be immersed in that world.For the 360 Facebook experience, use your cursor or move your mobile to look around the environment. For the full stereoscopic experience with high quality audio that can be viewed in a Cardboard compatible headset, head over to Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNOT_feL27Y)Full Virtual Reality experience available on Samsung Gear VR via the Vrideo app! http://www.vrideo.com/watch/ytZm6Sa

Posted by Curiscope on Thursday, January 7, 2016

 

The “Great White Shark” experience uses 360-degree virtual reality to put spectators in the awesome presence of computer-generated sharks in their natural habitat, swimming freely outside the confines of a cramped aquarium tank. Accompanied by an immersive soundtrack, the 90-second film even includes a cross-section view of a shark’s anatomy, offering viewers an inside look at her internal organs and powerful muscles – without harming any animals.

Aquaria and marine parks are part of a for-profit industry built on the suffering of intelligent, individual beings. Just last week, compassionate people around the world were disgusted and horrified by the actions of Japan’s Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, which confined a great white shark – who had been taken from his natural home in the ocean – to an aquarium prison. He died after just three days in captivity.

Thankfully, innovative technology can provide kind people who are eager to see sharks up close and personal with the opportunity to do so, without subjecting any animal to a lifetime of deprivation in an aquarium. Curiscope’s groundbreaking use of virtual reality technology points to a future in which viewing sea animals is a far more educational, accessible and immersive experience than watching sad, frustrated captives in a glass box.

Try it for yourself:

  1. CGI Cardboard/360
  2. Facebook 360 video
  3. Gear VR via Milk VR and Vrideo app