The Detroit Motor Show is in full swing Stateside, with Toyota teaming up with TeenDrive365 to create a virtual reality experience, using Oculus Rift, to warn teenagers of the dangers of distracted driving.
The Rift experience plunks you in a Toyota, naturally, in a busy street and you're challenged to drive safely while listening to the radio, friends talking at you, receiving text messages and so on.
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“Oculus Rift provides a virtual reality driving experience that mirrors real life behind the wheel, giving us a powerful, one-of-a-kind way to show parents and teens how everyday distractions can affect their ability to drive safely,” explained Marjorie Schussel, corporate marketing director for Toyota.
“This is the most innovative example of how we’re helping teens and parents become safer drivers together through our ongoing Toyota TeenDrive365 initiative.”
This isn't the first example of a car company tapping into the power of virtual reality, of course. Samsung recently teamed up with Audi to offer VR test drives of the new TT Coupé using its Gear VR headset and Volvo recently developed a Google Cardboard app to offer something similar for its latest models.
The Toyota project is a great example, however, of just how educational VR experiences can be. After the Detroit Motor Show, the experience will tour major US cities.
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By Paul Lamkin
Wareable Media Group co-CEO Paul launched Wareable with James Stables in 2014, after working for a variety of the UK's biggest and best consumer tech publications including Pocket-lint, Forbes, Electric Pig, Tech Digest, What Laptop, T3 and has been a judge for the TechRadar Awards.
Prior to founding Wareable, and subsequently The Ambient, he was the senior editor of MSN Tech and has written for a range of publications.