Rio airport uses VR to showcase new terminal ahead of Olympics

Rio de Janeiro's international airport is using virtual reality (VR) technology to give passengers a preview of its new terminal.

The VR channel is aimed at giving the general public an immersive, 360 degree experience of what the airport's Terminal 2, which was revamped for the Rio Olympic Games next month, will look like.

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Rio-based VR startup UView360 carried out the project that showcases the new hub, which will process the 1,5 million visitors that are expected to attend the Games.

UView360 is active in the VR segment since 2009 and despite having developed competencies for that type of work, founder Charles Boggiss says that the fact that VR is still a novelty in Brazil means that more skilled professionals as well as a culture of investment are required.

"In order to do live 360 broadcasts at a professional level, there needs to be an investment in specialized camera equipment, software and all the infrastructure for data transmission, which isn't something trivial in Brazil nowadays," Boggiss adds.

According to consulting firm Digi Capital, the global virtual reality market could hit $30bn revenue by 2020.