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VHIL is studying 1,000 volunteers from the San Francisco Bay area, assessing their reactions to homelessness by dividing them into four groups and exposing them to the issue using four types of media.

VR scenarios could be more effective than the traditional public service ad at making people behave. Afterwards, they waste less paper. They save more money for retirement. They’re nicer to the people around them.

VHIL's diversity demos are designed to transport users into unfamiliar and unsettling realms. In one scenario, a user is represented by an African-American female avatar who is being angrily harassed by a white avatar. When the user reflexively lifts his or her arms in self-defense, the hands feature black skin.

During a visit to VHIL, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell learned how virtual experiences could improve training and officiating, and also teach players empathy on a variety of social issues.

VHIL studies how very intense experience in the virtual world changes you in the real world and shows how virtual reality can be a tool to teach you about yourself and to teach you empathy.