The team working on Google’s DayDream is experimenting with virtual reality (VR) as a training tool. In a recent experiment, trainees were asked to learn the functions of a coffee maker—one group using virtual reality, the other using training videos. Researchers found that the group using virtual reality learned faster and more effectively than those using more traditional methods. The video group was allowed to watch YouTube videos showing the operation of the coffee machine, while the VR group was given a virtual copy of the machine to tinker around with. Each individual was given as much time to use their respective training tools as they wanted. The video viewers, on average, watched three run-throughs of the videos before being able to make a passable espresso. The VR testers were able to accomplish the same task after two. Additionally, the DayDream team found that those who trained with the virtual model made fewer mistakes during their task than those who had only watched videos. However, the virtual training wasn’t perfect. The study found that despite visual and auditory warnings that parts of the machine could be dangerously hot, most testers ignored these virtual warnings and were in danger of hurting themselves when making coffee in the real world.