8 Ways Virtual Reality Will Make Life Worth Living

By Chris Rowlands /

4. Extraordinary Hygiene

Showering: one of life's great pleasures. Except when the water's not-quite-warm. Or you're running late. Or the cubicle's dirty. Imagine, then, donning a...OK, so this one would need VR headset tech to receive some serious waterproof upgrades, go wire-free and be small enough to not obstruct that all important conditioning phase €“ but, that aside, in-shower augmentation could add some serious excitement to the task of scrubbing your particulars. Flick a switch and you're bathing under the Victoria Falls. Tap again and a flock of oddly-well-trained birds is swooping and diving with buckets of water. Next scenario: you're having a normal shower but it's in the middle of the street. You're naked. People are laughing. Wait, who flicked the setting to worst nightmare mode? When shampoo bottles become jars of diamonds and the tub in which you stand transforms into a plush pebble on a far-flung beach €“ all at the push of a button €“ you know technology is doing something right. (Not one to try if you're using Google Cardboard.)