VR in future courtrooms? Florida case could mark 1st use of new tech

Virtual reality could soon be making its way into courtrooms in the US, with a judge in Florida allowing a VR simulation to be submitted as evidence.

According to a local TV report, cited by Gizmodo, the case pertains to aggravated assault, which Miguel Albisu was charged with last year after waving a gun at guests at a wedding venue which he owned. Albisu's wife and son were allegedly attacked at the venue, following which Miguel arrived.

The crux of the case lies around the question of whether Albisu's decision to threaten the guests with a gun was a valid form of self-defence under Flordia's Stand-Your-Ground laws.

To that end, the idea was to present the defendant's perspective and VR headsets were chosen to give the judge and jury a realistic, immersive take on the incident.

The defence attorney in the case, Ken Padowitz, commissioned an artist to create a simulation of the incident, viewable on the Oculus Quest 2 headset, which was introduced at the pre-trial stage. Reportedly, it will also be allowed for the trial.

News station Local10 even aired a video from the courtroom showing the judge and others watch the VR simulation during pre-trial.

Gizmodo also reported that the use of the VR headset in this case could very well be the first use of VR in a trial, even though animated simulations have been used before.

If the case does go to trial, proceedings are expected to resume in February this year, and we could very well go on to witness the first use of VR in a criminal case.