This video provides a glimpse what boat dealer showrooms may be evolving toward. It’s a preview of DRIVR, from Chaparral and Robalo.
You don the goggles, sit in the simulator and, ” experience,” the boat of your choice. What, “experience,” means is that you start the engine and run it across a gorgeous waterscape. Accelerate. Turn. Stop and drift. Take off again.
Had enough for now? Leave the helm and inspect the boat, seeing how it looks in the colors you choose, walking into the bow lounge, the head, and onto the swim platform.
The video only hints at how immersive an experience DRIVR is in reality…er…virtual reality. Check it out.
We’ll report more on DRIVR , as well as other virtual reality systems that pertain to your boating and boat buying experience, in the coming months.
TAKEAWAY: Stanley G. Weinbaum’s 1935 short story “Pygmalion’s Spectacles” describes a goggle-based virtual reality system with holographic recording of fictional experiences, including smell and touch.
