Reality Check

Amazingly, virtual reality can help us understand how we tick.

- Marc Wilson

Imagine you’re sitting down. In front of you is someone facing away but who looks like you. You can’t see their face, but they’re wearing what looks like a bulky set of glasses. Then a person moves into your field of vision, behind the “other” you. In each hand they’re holding a plastic rod – similar to a whiteboard marker. Simultaneously, they poke one rod towards your chest and the other at the chest of the person in front.

In fact, the person in front doesn’t just look like you, they are you. And they’re wearing virtual reality (VR) goggles. What you’re seeing is an image transmitted from a camera positioned behind you, so you’re looking at yourself through the camera’s eyes. The person with the rods is Henrik Ehrsson, from the brain, body and self laboratory at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.