The Application of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Biology Experiment Teaching

Since the evolution of VR and AR technology is developing at a phenomenal rate, they are being used more and more in education and adding new value to every level of biology lab education. VR offers a fully immersive 3D virtual environment, while AR places virtual information over the real world. Both help balance the drawbacks of traditional biology experiments such as the lack of specimens, expensive equipment, and the unavailability of viewing some processes. Students are now able to "enter" a cell and see organelles at work or view DNA replication in detail, which makes the lessons more effective. VR and AR are no silver bullet, however. Mass adoption remains with a number of hurdles, including technical maturity, development cost, and how it will be measured that people learn. They should not and cannot replace hands-on operation through genuine lab work. Instead, they are well-positioned to be an efficient addition to the traditional instruction, creating a hybrid "virtual-physical" learning environment based on the strength of each method. These types of software will play an even larger part in biology lab education in the future.