A person standing near Times Square in New York City wears a virtual reality headset screening an immersive experience of the conditions at Venezuela's El Helicoide prison, on Sept. 19, 2023. Protesters gathered to demand the release of political prisoners and the closure of the detention center over allegations of torture. Stefan Jeremiah/AP hide caption
A person tries out an Apple Vision Pro headset at an Apple store in New York City on Feb. 2. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images hide caption
A research participant in the Levi Lab at University California, Berkeley undergoes treatment for amblyopia using virtual reality. Elena Zhukova/UC Regents hide caption
Ishar Das Arora, 83, watches a 3-D video of his birthplace in Pakistan, through a virtual reality device. Raksha Kumar/NPR hide caption
A person walks past a sign bearing Meta's logo at the company's Menlo Park headquarters in October 2021. The company is introducing new safety measures for younger Instagram users after facing widespread scrutiny. Noah Berger/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Linda Munson's youngest grandson, Daniel Gomez, 2, tries on an Oculus headset in her yard in Berlin, Conn. Playing different virtual reality games has become her family's regular Sunday activity, Munson said. Yehyun Kim for NPR hide caption
Children play a virtual reality game a Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Live Site set up on February 07, 2022 in Beijing, China. Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images hide caption
Pilots Jerry Griffin (left) of the Birmingham Police Department and Jonathan Johnson of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office conduct a helicopter training flight using new virtual reality technology. Russell Lewis/NPR hide caption
Employers are using virtual reality to train millions of workers in everything from operating machines to how to handle active shooters. Courtesy of Strivr hide caption
Though not the same as actually jumping into the waves, a virtual reality program like this one that let a headset-wearing patient "swim with dolphins" was enough of an immersive distraction to significantly reduce pain, a study found. Courtesy of Cedars Sinai/Screenshot by NPR hide caption
During a training session, Dr. Kenneth Kim and a surgical resident practice a hysterectomy on a robotic simulator at UAB Hospital. Mary Scott Hodgin/WBHM 90.3 hide caption
A moment from Embodied Labs' virtual reality video of Clay Crowder, a fictional 66-year-old man with incurable lung cancer. In this scene, Clay's family gathers around his bed, reassuring him that it's OK to let go of life. Embodied Labs hide caption
A virtual reality program developed by NASA could help scientists visualize the magnetic fields around the earth. NASA hide caption
NPR reporter Aarti Shahani tested Facebook's new social VR platform. She requested an older avatar to represent her, but that was not available. Her guide "Phil" had her tour virtual cherry blossoms. NPR hide caption
A Syrian woman and her child sit in their refugee living space in Lebanon. They are featured in Four Walls, a virtual reality presentation by the International Rescue Committee. YouVisit Studios hide caption
A woman tries on Google's virtual reality device "Daydream View" after the opening of Google's pop-up store in New York on October 20, 2016. Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Mette Marie Lei Lange from Denmark faces her fear of spiders via the Itsy virtual reality app. Courtesy of Wenderfalck hide caption
At Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Calif., riders of the New Revolution Virtual Reality Coaster wear VR goggles to play a video game while the roller coaster twists and turns. Courtesy of Six Flags hide caption
Virginia Anderlini (right) was the first private client to try out Dr. Sonya Kim's new virtual reality program for the elderly, and says she's eager to see more. Kim's handful of programs are still at the demo stage. Kara Platoni/KQED hide caption
Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus VR, demonstrates the new Oculus Rift headset during the "Step Into The Rift" event in San Francisco in June 2015. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption