The first military application for Oculus Rift

There is no doubt that Mark Zuckerberg knew what he was doing when Facebook bought Oculus VR earlier this year. Now, the world leading company in virtual reality technologies could enter the military market.

Norwegian military authorities saw the potential of Oculus Rift and the device is now on trials. The virtual reality headset has been modified and implemented on a tank. The work was done by Making View and Augmenti companies. The first one filed the tank with cameras to give a 360 degree angle view for the driver. The second company from Trondheim is working on a Augmented Reality system that will literally give the tank's driver the sensation his vehicle is transparent.

The system is really regarded as future standard option for tanks. “It's a very promising concept. We see that the glasses don't yet have the necessary screen resolution to see well at a distance, and they may cause some dizziness for the driver, but we believe we can improve it quickly,” said Major Ola Petter Odden, for Norwegian media. He added the system could be ready in a matter of three to five years.

Some of the inspiration came from the famous tank computer game Battlefield 3. “Those who play Battlefield do indeed have a better view than than those in an actual vehicle. With our software you can add the information and views you are used to from games: an overview map, spatial orientation, tilt and speed,” Daniel Mestervik of the Making View told TU.

Oculus VR is a world leading company specialized in the virtual technology. Their project Oculus Rift was the one that led Facebook in acquiring the company in March for two billion dollars.