Honda uses Oculus Rift to bring holiday VR light show to hospitalized children
If you're lucky enough to be healthy and with family this holiday season, you'll appreciate a recent tech-powered effort Honda undertook to bring the magic of Christmas to children unable to leave a hospital in Orange County, California.
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Working in conjunction with the Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC Children's), the auto company produced a stunning virtual reality holiday light display that immersed the children in the sights they weren't able to see outside of the hospital.
Using Oculus Rift headsets donated by Microsoft, you can see the amazement wash over the children as they experience the elaborate VR display called "Candy Cane Lane" from the seat of a moving virtual sleigh.
Spoiler Alert: There's even a surprise visit from a certain bearded guy toward the end.
You can watch a 360-degree version of the video on YouTube (Chrome browser required) and a short, documentary-style clip featuring the children is currently on Facebook. For every "Like" or "Love" the video gets on Facebook, Honda has pledged to donate $1 to CHOC Children's and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (up to $100,000). Currently, the Facebook video has about 12,000 Likes/Loves.
VR is often called an "empathy machine" due to the technology's ability to connect us to others, and in this case, during the holidays, that description has never been more accurate.
