Oculus Rift is amazing in that it lets you experience other worlds beautifully and immersively. And, in this project by BeAnotherLabs, it's letting users experience a few minutes as the opposite gender. (Warning: some nudity ahead).

The group calls it the "Machine To Be Another." Kind of weird and kind of cool, and to be honest, might make you a liiiittle bit uncomfortable. But the point is to get you out of your comfort zone. It works by putting two people of the opposite sex back to back, fitting them with Oculus headsets, having them synchronize their movements, and then letting them see what the person behind them is seeing in 3D. That's role reversal taken all the way.


This is just a part of the Machine to Be Another project. BeAnotherLab also foresees using Oculus Rift in various ways to teach empathy. For example, it has plans to use the device in the treatment and research of disabilities, as well as other ways that would let the wearer what's its like to be someone different from them. And if you aren't convinced of how cool the Oculus Rift is by now, maybe you haven't been paying attention. [MachineToBeAnother via DesignBoom]