Virtual Reality Environment

Virtual Reality Environment

Monday, January 4, 2016 / No Comments

Other sensory output from the VE system should adjust in real time as a user explores the environment. If the environment incorporates 3-D sound, the user must be convinced that the sound’s orientation shifts in a natural way as he maneuvers through the environment. Sensory stimulation must be consistent if a user is to feel immersed within a VE. If the VE shows a perfectly still scene, you wouldn’t expect to feel gale-force winds. Likewise, if the VE puts you in the middle of a hurricane, you wouldn’t expect to feel a gentle breeze or detect the scent of roses.

Lag time between when a user acts and when the virtual environment reflects that action is called latency. Latency usually refers to the delay between the time a user turns his head or moves his eyes and the change in the point of view, though the term can also be used for a lag in other sensory outputs. Studies with flight simulators show that humans can detect a latency of more than 50 milliseconds. When a user detects latency, it causes him to become aware of being in an artificial environment and destroys the sense of immersion.

An immersive experience suffers if a user becomes aware of the real world around him. Truly immersive experiences make the user forget his real surroundings, effectively causing the computer to become a non entity. In order to reach the goal of true immersion, developers have to come up with input methods that are more natural for users. As long as a user is aware of the interaction device, he is not truly immersed.

REAL VIRTUAL OBJECTS AND GOING FOR A SWIM : Passive haptics are one way VE developers have tried to enhance interactivity. Passive haptics are real objects in a physical space that are mapped to virtual objects in a virtual space. Users wear an HMD or similar portable display while in the physical space. When they look toward the physical object, they'll see the virtual representation of it in their display. When they approach the object and try to touch it, they encounter the real object in the physical space. Anything a user does with that object in real space appears as a reflected action upon the virtual object in virtual space.

Swimming in VR systems doesn’t refer to jumping into a pool -- it describes the effect of latency within a virtual environment. If you were to look around in a VE and notice that the change in point of view was not instantaneous, you would experience swimming. The effect is distracting and can even make you experience motion sickness, called sim sickness or cyber sickness in VR circles.

see also:

• What is Virtual Reality
• Virtual Reality Immersion
• Virtual Reality Interactivity
• Virtual Reality Headset
• Virtual Reality Games
• Virtual Reality Applications
• New trends in digital media
• How Virtual Reality Works

Virtual Reality Applications

Virtual Reality Applications

/ No Comments

Using virtual therapy to treat a
patient’s fear of flying.

In the early 1990's, the public's exposure to virtual reality rarely went beyond a relatively primitive demonstration of a few blocky figures being chased around a chessboard by a crude pterodactyl. While the entertainment industry is still interested in virtual reality applications in games and theater experiences, the really interesting uses for VR systems are in other fields.

Some architects create virtual models of their building plans so that people can walk through the structure before the foundation is even laid. Clients can move around exteriors and interiors and ask questions, or even suggest alterations to the design. Virtual models can give you a much more accurate idea of how moving through a building will feel than a miniature model.

Car companies have used VR technology to build virtual prototypes of new vehicles, testing them thoroughly before producing a single physical part. Designers can make alterations without having to scrap the entire model, as they often would with physical ones. The development process becomes more efficient and less expensive as a result.

Virtual environments are used in training programs for the military, the space program and even medical students. The military have long been supporters of VR technology and development. Training programs can include everything from vehicle simulations to squad combat. On the whole, VR systems are much safer and, in the long run, less expensive than alternative training methods. Soldiers who have gone through extensive VR training have proven to be as effective as those who trained under traditional conditions.

In medicine, staff can use virtual environments to train in everything from surgical procedures to diagnosing a patient. Surgeons have used virtual reality technology to not only train and educate, but also to perform surgery remotely by using robotic devices. The first robotic surgery was performed in 1998 at a hospital in Paris. The biggest challenge in using VR technology to perform robotic surgery is latency, since any delay in such a delicate procedure can feel unnatural to the surgeon. Such systems also need to provide finely-tuned sensory feedback to the surgeon.

Another medical use of VR technology is psyc­hological therapy. Dr. Barbara Rothbaum of Emory University and Dr. Larry Hodges of the Georgia Institute of Technology pioneered the use of virtual environments in treating people with phobias and other psychological conditions. They use virtual environments as a form of exposure therapy, where a patient is exposed -- under controlled conditions -- to stimuli that cause him distress. The application has two big advantages over real exposure therapy: it is much more convenient and patients are more willing to try the therapy because they know it isn't the real world. Their research led to the founding of the company Virtually Better, which sells VR therapy systems to doctors in 14 countries.

see also:

• What is Virtual Reality
• Virtual Reality Immersion
• Virtual Reality Environment
• Virtual Reality Interactivity
• Virtual Reality Headset
• Virtual Reality Games
• New trends in digital media
• How Virtual Reality Works