Technology: Making Dreams A Virtual Reality

By William Marchesano, Technology Advisor & Evangelist

Here’s the story of a 17 year old man, Aiden Fay, from San Diego who has dreamed of flying ever since he was a young boy. After meeting the minimum age requirement to obtain a private pilot license, Aiden asked his parents’ permission to attend flight school. After some persuading, and knowing it was his lifelong dream to become a pilot, they agreed. As part of attending flight school, he had to take a routine aviation medical exam. Unfortunately, after his first lesson Aiden received a letter in the mail officially denying him due to a pre-existing medical condition.

Our story could have ended here but luckily this story has a happy ending. Proving that passion and necessity are an impetus for invention, Aiden decided to build his own Cessna Flight Simulator. Leveraging the Oculus VR Rift virtual reality headset, real airline rudder pedals purchased from eBay, and even going so far as design the circuit board himself, he was now able to fly anywhere he wanted in the world from the comfort of his bedroom. The integration between the Oculus VR Rift and cockpit instruments he designed are close to flawless. When he looks through the Oculus VR Rift, it matches almost perfectly with the control panel. As he turns his head to look around the cockpit and wherever he may be “flying” that day, everything is being presented through this device giving him a complete sense of immersion.

Though the Oculus VR Rift will not be released to the public until next Spring, Aiden’s flight simulator program can currently be found online. Better yet, the physical simulator he built is now garnering attention from Silicon Valley, including Oculus VR inventor and cofounder, Palmer Luckey. It goes to show how something that starts as a roadblock can be transformed into a catapult to bigger and better things. There are other stories out there about how the Oculus VR Rift is being used as a new approach to solve a myriad of challenges in industries such as Biotech/Life Science, Manufacturing, Architecture, etc.

I typically write about Microsoft Dynamics CRM solutions and how it empowers businesses to become smarter and more agile. After hearing Aiden’s story I was inspired to switch gears this week because I felt it stood as a good reminder. Technology isn’t a product, a new electronic gadget, or piece of software. It is a vehicle or new way of accomplishing something that may not have been possible before. It helps us move forward whether to overcome a mundane challenge or, in this case, make a dream come true.

Photo source: http://www.popularmechanics.com

About the author:

Will has over 16 years of experience in business development, team management, and project management. Will has worked at Managed Solution for over four years and is currently advising businesses on best CRM practices and implementations. Will’s focus is on process improvement and analytics specializing in Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Will is a Microsoft Certified Professional, with certifications in Presales Technical Specialist – Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013, Sales Specialist- Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 Application, Sales Specialist- Office 365, Sales Specialist- SMB Infrastructure and Sales Specialist- Datacenter.

Other articles by Will Marchesano:

• Microsoft Oculus: Making Dreams A Virtual Reality

• Wednesdays with Will: Microsoft Dynamics CRM & Office 365 – Working In Perfect Harmony

• Wednesdays with Will: Making Your Business Intelligent