VR for tourists: make even the most unfamiliar locations comfortable and familiar!

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The Issue:

Sometimes, people go to new locations and feel a sense of unease (Figure 1), due to their lack of familiarity with the local surroundings.

Fig. 1: This tourist has gone to a location with many unfamiliar elements, like these unique pieces of architecture. This causes great anxiety in this specific tourist! Is there a solution?!

Proposal:

Thankfully, the solution is easy! The tourist can simply tour while wearing a VR that has been calibrated to change the exotic foreign landscape into a familiar environment from the tourist’s home (Figure 2).

Fig. 2: Here, the VR goggles replace the Eiffel Tower with a familiar water tower (top), and replace the Japanese-inspired gate and shrine (bottom) with a familiar fast-food drive-through sign and intercom.

Now, this tourist need no longer be challenged by unfamiliar surroundings. The trip is saved!

Conclusion:

It would be possible to extend this system even further: instead of replacing landmarks one at a time, the entire environment could be just switched out wholesale.

Is touring the Forbidden City, Times Square, or Osaka Castle too overwhelming? Instantly virtually replace any of these spaces with a (virtual) Home Depot parking lot!

PROS: Improves the tourist experience: the perfect fusion of the familiar and unfamiliar!

CONS: None!