Virtual Reality
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Technical Information
Virtual Reality Defined
Virtual reality (VR) is a technology which allows a user to interact with a computer-simulated environment, be it a real or imagined one. Most virtual current reality environments are primarily visual experiences, displayed either on a computer screen or through special stereoscopic displays, but some simulations include additional sensory information, such as sound through speakers or headphones. Some advanced, haptic systems now include tactile information, generally known as force feedback, in medical and gaming applications. Users can interact with a virtual environment or a virtual artifact (VA) either through the use of standard input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, or through multimodal devices such as a wired glove, the Polhemus boom arm, and/or omnidirectional treadmill. The simulated environment can be similar to the real world, for example, simulations for pilot or combat training, or it can differ significantly from reality, as in VR games. In practice, it is currently very difficult to create a high-fidelity virtual reality experience, due largely to technical limitations on processing power, image resolution and communication bandwidth. However, those limitations are expected to eventually be overcome as processor, imaging and data communication technologies become more powerful and cost-effective over time.
Types of VR Systems
I. Window on World Systems (WoW)
Some systems use a conventional computer monitor to display the visual world. This sometimes called Desktop VR or a Window on a World (WoW). This concept traces its lineage back through the entire history of computer graphics. In 1965, Ivan Sutherland laid out a research program for computer graphics in a paper called "The Ultimate Display" that has driven the field for the past nearly thirty years.
"One must look at a display screen," he said, "as a window through which one beholds a virtual world. The challenge to computer graphics is to make the picture in the window look real, sound real and the objects act real." [quoted from Computer Graphics V26#3]
II. Video Mapping
A variation of the WoW approach merges a video input of the user's silhouette with a 2D computer graphic. The user watches a monitor that shows his body's interaction with the world. Myron Kruger has been a champion of this form of VR since the late 60's. He has published two books on the subject: "Artificial Reality" and "Artificial Reality II". At least one commercial system uses this approach, the Mandala system. This system is based on a Commodore Amiga with some added hardware and software. A version of the Mandala is used by the cable TV channel Nickelodeon for a game show (Nick Arcade) to put the contestants into what appears to be a large video game.
III. Immersive Systems
The ultimate VR systems completely immerse the user's personal viewpoint inside the virtual world. These "immersive" VR systems are often equipped with a Head Mounted Display (HMD). This is a helmet or a face mask that holds the visual and auditory displays. The helmet may be free ranging, tethered, or it might be attached to some sort of a boom armature.
A nice variation of the immersive systems use multiple large projection displays to create a 'Cave' or room in which the viewer(s) stand. An early implementation was called "The Closet Cathedral" for the ability to create the impression of an immense environment. within a small physical space.
IV. Telepresence
Telepresence is a variation on visualizing complete computer generated worlds. This technology links remote sensors in the real world with the senses of a human operator. The remote sensors might be located on a robot, or they might be on the ends of WALDO like tools. Fire fighters use remotely operated vehicles to handle some dangerous conditions. Surgeons are using very small instruments on cables to do surgery without cutting a major hole in their patients. The instruments have a small video camera at the business end. Robots equipped with telepresence systems have already changed the way deep sea and volcanic exploration is done. NASA plans to use telerobotics for space exploration. There is currently a joint US/Russian project researching telepresence for space rover exploration.
V. Mixed Reality
Merging the Telepresence and Virtual Reality systems gives the Mixed Reality or Seamless Simulation systems. Here the computer generated inputs are merged with telepresence inputs and/or the users view of the real world. A surgeon's view of a brain surgery is overlaid with images from earlier CAT scans and real-time ultrasound. A fighter pilot sees computer generated maps and data displays inside his fancy helmet visor or on cockpit displays.
Virtual Reality Hardware
I. Image Generators
One of the most time consuming tasks in a VR system is the generation of the images. Fast computer graphics opens a very large range of applications aside from VR, so there has been a market demand for hardware acceleration for a long while. There are currently a number of vendors selling image generator cards for PC level machines, many of these are based on the Intel i860 processor. These cards range in price from about $2000 up to $6 or $10,000. Silicon Graphics Inc. has made a very profitable business of producing graphics workstations. SGI boxes are some of the most common processors found in VR laboratories and high end systems. SGI boxes range in price from under $10,000 to over $100,000. The simulator market has produced several companies that build special purpose computers designed expressly for real time image generation. These computers often cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars.
II. Manipulation and Control Devices
One key element for interaction with a virtual world, is a means of tracking the position of a real world object, such as a head or hand. There are numerous methods for position tracking and control. Ideally a technology should provide 3 measures for position(X, Y, Z) and 3 measures of orientation (roll, pitch, yaw). One of the biggest problem for position tracking is latency, or the time required to make the measurements and preprocess them before input to the simulation engine.
The simplest control hardware is a conventional mouse, trackball or joystick. One common VR device is the instrumented glove. The use of a glove to manipulate objects in a computer is covered by a basic patent in the USA. Such a glove is outfitted with sensors on the fingers as well as an overall position/orientation tracker. There are a number of different types of sensors that can be used. The concept of an instrumented glove has been extended to other body parts. Full body suits with position and bend sensors have been used for capturing motion for character animation, control of music synthesizers, etc. in addition to VR applications.
III. Stereo Vision
Stereo vision is often included in a VR system. This is accomplished by creating two different images of the world, one for each eye. The images are computed with the viewpoints offset by the equivalent distance between the eyes. There are a large number of technologies for presenting these two images. The images can be placed side-by-side and the viewer asked (or assisted) to cross their eyes. The images can be projected through differently polarized filters, with corresponding filters placed in front of the eyes. Anaglyph images user red/blue glasses to provide a crude (no color) stereovision.
Another alternative method for creating stereo imagery on a computer is to use one of several split screen methods. These divide the monitor into two parts and display left and right images at the same time. One method places the images side by side and conventionally oriented. It may not use the full screen or may otherwise alter the normal display aspect ratio. A special hood viewer is placed against the monitor which helps the position the eyes correctly and may contain a divider so each eye sees only its own image.
IV. Head Mounted Display (HMD)
One hardware device closely associated with VR is the Head Mounted Device (HMD). These use some sort of helmet or goggles to place small video displays in front of each eye, with special optics to focus and stretch the perceived field of view. Most HMDs use two displays and can provide stereoscopic imaging. Others use a single larger display to provide higher resolution, but without the stereoscopic vision.
Historical Information
Impact
Virtual reality will be integrated into daily life and activity and will be used in various human ways.
Techniques will be developed to influence human behavior, interpersonal communication, and cognition (i.e., virtual genetics).
As we spend more and more time in virtual space, there will be a gradual “migration to virtual space,” resulting in important changes in economics, worldview, and culture.
The design of virtual environments may be used to extend basic human rights into virtual space, to promote human freedom and well-being, and to promote social stability as we move from one stage in socio-political development to the next.
Entity Use of Virtual Reality
I. Mass Media
Entertainment media reinforced these concepts with futuristic imagery many generations beyond contemporary capabilities.
II. Television
Star Trek: The Next Generation The Deadly Assassin
III. Motion Pictures
The Matrix- Wachowski brothers EXistenZ- David Cronenberg Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
IV. Music Videos
Aerosmith-"Amazing"
V. Games
Virtual Boy- Nintendo Metal Gear Solid- PS,XBOX Kingdom Hearts II
VI. Real Estate
VR panoramic image tours on potential new house purchases
References
Team Members
John Bruni
Michael Verrusio
Garrett Taverna
Bradley Royer
