This is what death looks like: VR simulation takes you to edge of life!

A new virtual reality (VR) simulation in Melbourne, Australia is providing people with the opportunity to experience what it may be like to die.

The Passing Electrical Storms exhibit by Shaun Gladwell at the National Gallery of Victoria features an “extended reality” (XR) experience that is both meditative and unsettling.

The simulation guides participants through a simulated de-escalation of life, from cardiac arrest to brain death, giving them a glimpse of what may happen in their final moments.

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The experience includes an out-of-body component, allowing participants to see themselves in the goggles.

One TikToker who went through the experience, known as croom12, explained that participants are laid down, the bed vibrates, and they flatline before doctors surround them and simulate failing to revive them.

He added that participants then “float up past them into space” as part of the VR experience.

Participants are hooked up to a heart rate monitor and can exit the simulation at any time by raising their hand if they find it overwhelming.

The exhibit has garnered mixed reactions from people, with some finding it intriguing and others concerned about the potential psychological impact of experiencing death.

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This is not the only VR experience of its kind. Another VR simulation allows people to experience a virtual recreation of a “suicide machine”.

However, the VR death simulation is only an experience and is not like the VR headset that could kill a person if they died in their game.

The exhibit is part of the Melbourne Now event and is open to the public. While some may find the experience unsettling, it provides an opportunity to reflect on the inevitable and raises questions about what happens when we die.