10 Amazing Ways People Are Using The Oculus Rift Today

Kyle Russell/Business Insider

When the Oculus Rift made its Kickstarter debut in 2012, gamers were convinced that this could finally be the gadget that would make virtual reality take off.

Now, two years and a $2 billion acquisition later, the device is being used for much more than video games.

The Oculus Rift, created by Oculus VR, is a virtual reality 3-D headset that uses 360-degree head tracking to make it feel like you're inside a different world.

For example, looking to the left or right will automatically pan the scene in either direction, making it feel as natural as looking around in reality. The eyewear also provides parallel images for each eye, which is the same way your eyes perceive images in the real world.

The company already generated a ton of buzz after its Kickstarter campaign was successfully funded, but the startup really broke into the public eye when Facebook acquired it for $2 billion in March.

Palmer Luckey, the 21-year-old Oculus VR founder, said that the Oculus Rift was made specifically for gaming when it was initially introduced. Today, however, people are using the headset to drive tanks in the military and explore the human body, among other fascinating applications.