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BeAnother Lab is taking advantage of the first-person perspective of Oculus Rift to explore ideas of gender, intimacy, mutual respect and more.

The Gender Swap experiment (for thus it is named) makes use of a larger project called The Machine To Be Another. That broader system's first-person cameras and the device's head-mounted display allow participants in the Gender Swap to switch to the point of view of a differently gendered user.


By continuously agreeing actions to perform, the project aims to keep the sensation of being in another body without being disrupted by incongruous or unexpected gestures. There's a video which demonstrates the experience a little better but it involves a degree of nudity so it's probably NSFW.

The Machine To Be Another has already allowed for the exploration of several experiences in a similar vein including a woman who uses a wheelchair sharing an account of disrespect directed at those with physical disabilities.

BeAnother Lab is also interested in how the technology could be used in rehabilitation and body perception. Projects suggested using the technology as part of a medical hack day have included working with people with anorexia and rehabilitating those whose use of one side of their body has been affected by a stroke.