In a study published by the University of South Australia, researchers, legal professionals, police and forensic scientists simulated a hit-and-run scene, reconstructing the events with a laser scanner to compare verdicts between ‘jurors’ using 3D headsets and those relying on photographs from the scene.
They found that the jurors using the VR headsets had better recall, spatial accuracy and more consistent verdicts.
“Virtual reality also required significantly less effort than using photographs to piece together the sequence of events,” said researcher Dr Andrew Cunningham.
Study participants viewing the scene through a 3D headset were 9.5 times more likely (87 per cent) to choose the same verdict – death by dangerous driving – than the group who relied on photographs, who were split 47/53 per cent between a careless driving verdict and dangerous driving verdict.
“Participants who were immersed in the scene were more likely to correctly...