VIRTUAL REALITY

By
Rupesh Dwivedi (6TH SEM, Computer Science, rupesh_dwivedi@yahoo.com, 0 !"#$0%#6 & Utsav Ghosh (6TH SEM, Computer Science, 'tsav.(hosh.)@(mai*.com, 0 ++0#6+) +& Mukul Islam (6TH SEM, Computer Science, cheers,ormu-u*@(mai*.com, 0 Sir M .isvesvaraya /nstitute o, Techno*o(y, 0en(a*uru 1 %6$#%) 0$%)+) %&

ABSTRACT .irtua* rea*ity (.2& is a techno*o(y, which a**ows a user to interact with a computer3 simu*ated environment, 4e it a rea* or ima(ined one. Most current virtua* rea*ity environments are primari*y visua* e5periences, disp*ayed either on a computer screen or throu(h specia* or stereoscopic disp*ays, 4ut some simu*ations inc*ude additiona* sensory in,ormation, such as sound throu(h spea-ers or headphones. Some advanced, haptic systems now inc*ude tacti*e in,ormation, (enera**y -nown as ,orce ,eed4ac-, in medica* and (amin( app*ications. 'sers can interact with a virtua* environment or a virtua* arti,act (.6& either throu(h the use o, standard input devices such as a -ey4oard and mouse, or throu(h mu*timoda* devices such as a wired (*ove, the 7o*hemus 4oom arm, and unidirectiona* treadmi**. The simu*ated environment can 4e simi*ar to the rea* wor*d, ,or e5amp*e, simu*ations ,or pi*ot or com4at trainin(, or it can di,,er si(ni,icant*y ,rom rea*ity, as in .2 (ames. /n practice, it is current*y very di,,icu*t to create a hi(h3,ide*ity virtua* rea*ity e5perience, due *ar(e*y to technica* *imitations on processin( power, ima(e reso*ution and communication 4andwidth. However, those *imitations are e5pected to eventua**y 4e overcome as processor, ima(in( and data communication techno*o(ies 4ecome more power,u* and cost3e,,ective over time. Int odu!tion 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 current virtual 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 spea ers or headphones. !ome advanced, haptic systems now include tactile information, generally nown as force feedbac , in medical and gaming applications. "sers can interact with a virtual environment or a virtual artifact (V#) either through the use of standard input devices such as a eyboard and mouse, or through multimodal devices such as a wired glove, the $olhemus boom arm, and unidirectional treadmill. %he simulated environment can be similar to the real world, for example, simulations for pilot or combat
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training, or it can differ significantly from reality, as in VR games. &n 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. +owever, those limitations are expected to eventually be overcome as processor, imaging and data communication technologies become more powerful and cost-effective over time. Ba!k" ound %he term artificial reality, coined by Myron ,rueger, has been in use since the *-./s but the origin of the term virtual reality is uncertain. &t has been credited to %he 0udas Mandala, a *-12 science fiction novel by 3amien 4roderic , where the context of use is somewhat different from that defined above. %he earliest use cited by the 5xford (nglish 3ictionary is in a *-1. article entitled 6Virtual reality6, 7but the article is not about VR technology. %he VR developer 0aron 'anier claims that he coined the term. %he concept of virtual reality was populari8ed in mass media by movies such as 4rainstorm and %he 'awnmower Man (and others mentioned below), and the VR research boom of the *--/s was motivated in part by the nonfiction boo Virtual Reality by +oward Rheingold. %he boo served to demystify the sub9ect, ma ing it more accessible to less technical researchers and enthusiasts, with an impact similar to what his boo VR timeline Morton +eilig wrote in the *-:/s of an 6(xperience %heatre6 that could encompass all the senses in an effective manner, thus drawing the viewer into the onscreen activity. +e built a prototype of his vision dubbed the !ensorial in *-;2, along with five short films to be displayed in it while engaging multiple senses (sight, sound, smell, and touch). $redating digital computing, the !ensorial was a mechanical device, which reportedly still functions today. &n *-;1, &van !utherland, with the help of his student 4ob !proull, created what is widely considered to be the first virtual reality and augmented reality (#R) head mounted display (+M3) system. &t was primitive both in terms of user interface and realism, and the +M3 to be worn by the user was so heavy it had to be suspended from the ceiling, and the graphics comprising the virtual environment were simple wireframe model rooms. %he formidable appearance of the device inspired its name. #utu e &t is unclear exactly where the future of virtual reality is heading. <ithin existing technological limits, sight and sound are the two senses which best lend themselves to high =uality simulation. %here are however attempts being currently made to simulate smell. %he purpose of current research is lin ed to a pro9ect aimed at treating $ost %raumatic !tress 3isorder ($%!3) in veterans by exposing them to combat simulations, complete with smells. #lthough it is often seen in the context of entertainment by popular culture, this illustrates the point that the future of VR is very much tied into therapeutic, training, and engineering demands. >iven that fact, a full sensory immersion beyond basic tactile feedbac , sight, sound, and smell is unli ely to be a goal in the industry. &t &n order to engage the other sense of taste, the brain must be manipulated directly. %his would move virtual reality into the
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realm of simulated reality li e the 6head-plugs6 used in %he Matrix. #lthough no form of this has been seriously developed at this point, !ony has ta en the first step an idea. Impa!t %here has been increasing interest in the potential social impact of new technologies, such as virtual reality (as may be seen in utopian literature, within the social sciences, and in popular culture). Mychilo !. ?line, in his boo , $ower, Madness, and &mmortality@ %he Auture of Virtual Reality argues that virtual reality will lead to a number of important changes in human life and activity. +e argues that@ B Virtual reality will be integrated into daily life and activity and will be used in various human ways. B %echni=ues will be developed to influence human behavior, interpersonal communication, and cognition (i.e., virtual genetics). B #s we spend more and more time in virtual space, there will be a gradual Cmigration to virtual space,D resulting in important changes in economics, worldview, and culture. B %he 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. #i!tion $ooks Many science fiction boo s and movies have imagined characters being 6trapped in virtual reality6. 5ne of the first modern wor s to use this idea was 3aniel A. >alouyeEs novel !imulacron-F, which was made into a >erman teleplay titled <elt, am 3raht (6<orld on a <ire6) in *-.F and into a movie titled %he %hirteenth Aloor in *---. 5ther science fiction boo s have promoted the idea of virtual reality as a partial, but not total, substitution for the misery of reality (in the sense that a pauper in the real world can be a prince in VR), or have touted it as a method for creating breathta ing virtual worlds in which one may escape from (arthGs now toxic atmosphere. Television $erhaps the earliest example of virtual reality on television is a 3octor <ho serial 6%he 3eadly #ssassin6. %his story, first broadcast in *-.;, introduced a dream-li e computer-generated reality nown as the Matrix (no relation to the film H sees below). %he first ma9or television series to showcase virtual reality was !tar %re @ %he Iext >eneration. %hey featured the holodec , a virtual reality facility on starships that enabled its users to recreate and experience anything they wanted. 5ne difference from current virtual reality technology, however, was that replicators, force fields, holograms, and transporters were used to actually recreate and place ob9ects in the holodec , rather than relying solely on the illusion of physical ob9ects, as is done today.

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&n 0apan and +ong ,ong, the first anime series to use the idea of virtual reality was video <arrior 'aser ion (*-1J). #n anime series nown as 'ain@ !erial (xperiments included a virtual reality world nown as 6%he <ired6 that eventually co-existed with the real world. %he $opular .hac multimedia franchise is based on a virtual reality MM5R$> ironically dubbed 6%he <orld6 Motion pi!tu es !teven 'isbergerGs film %R5I was the first mainstream +ollywood picture to explore the idea, which was populari8ed more recently by the <achows i brothers in *---Gs %he Matrix. %he Matrix was significant in that it presented virtual reality and reality as often overlapping, and sometimes indistinguishable. %otal Recall and 3avid ?ronenbergEs film (KistenL dealt with the danger of confusion between reality and virtual reality in computer games. ?yberspace became something that most movies completely misunderstood, as seen in %he 'awnmower Man. #lso, the 4ritish comedy Red 3warf used in several episodes the idea that life (or at least the life seen on the show) is a virtual reality game. %his idea was also used in !py ,ids F-3@ >ame 5ver. #nother movie that has a bi8arre theme is 4rainscan, where the point of the game is to be a virtual iller. # more artistic and philosophical perspective on the sub9ect can be seen in #valon. %here is also a film from *--: called 6Virtuosity6 with 3en8el <ashington and Russell ?rowe that dealt with the creation of a serial iller, used to train law enforcement personnel, that escapes his virtual reality into the real world. Musi! videos %he lengthy video for hard roc band #erosmithGs *--F single 6#ma8ing6 depicted virtual reality, going so far as to show two young people participating in virtual reality simultaneously from their separate personal computers (while not nowing the other was also participating in it) in which the two engage in a steamy ma e out session, s y-dive, and embar on a motorcycle 9ourney together. Games &n *--*, the company (originally < &ndustries, later renamed) Virtuality licensed the #miga F/// for use in their VR machines and released a VR gaming system called the *///?!. %his was a stand-up immersive +M3 platform with a trac ed F3 9oystic . %he system featured several VR games including 3actyl Iightmare (shoot-em-up), 'egend Muest (adventure and fantasy), +ero (VR pu88le), >rid 4usters (shoot-em-up). Virtual Reality & >lasses $ersonal 3isplay !ystem is a visor and headphones headset that is compatible with any video input including F3 broadcasting, and usable with most game systems (Iintendo, $lay!tation, etc.). Virtual Reality <orld F3 ?olor Iin9a game comes with headset visor and an le and wrist straps that
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sense the playerGs punches and ic s. Virtual Reality <ireless %V %ennis >ame comes with a toy tennis rac et that senses the. Ma ketin" # side effect of the chic image that has been cultivated for virtual reality in the media is that advertising and merchandise have been associated with VR over the years to ta e advantage of the bu88. %his is often seen in product tie-ins with cross-media properties, especially gaming licenses, with varying degrees of success. %he I(! $ower >love by Mattel from the *-1/s was an early example as well as the "-Aorce and later, the !ega #ctivator. Mar eting ties between VR and video games are not to be unexpected, given that much of the progress in F3 computer graphics and virtual environment development (traditional hallmar s of VR) has been driven by the gaming industry over the last decade. %ealth !a e edu!ation <hile its use is still not widespread, virtual reality is finding its way into the training of health care professionals. "se ranges from anatomy instruction (example) to surgery simulation (example). #nnual conferences are held to examine the latest research in utili8ing virtual reality in the medical fields.

&hallen"es Virtual reality has been heavily critici8ed for being an inefficient method for navigating non-geographical information. #t present, the idea of ubi=uitous computing is very popular in user interface design, and this may be seen as a reaction against VR and its problems. &n reality, these two inds of interfaces have totally different goals and are complementary. %he goal of ubi=uitous computing is to bring the computer into the userGs world, rather than force the user to go inside the computer. %he current trend in VR is actually to merge the two user interfaces to create a fully immersive and integrated experience. !ee simulated reality for a discussion of what might have to be considered if a flawless virtual reality technology was possible. #nother obstacle is the headaches due to eye strain, caused by VR headsets. R!& can also result from repeated use of the handset gloves.

&on!lusion

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%he virtual reality is heading towards a positive note. &n the short run, the graphics displayed in the +M3 will soon reach a point of near realism. %he audio capabilities will move into a new realm of three dimensional sounds. %his refers to the addition of sound channels both above and below the individual. %he virtual reality application of this future technology will most li ely be in the form of over ear headphones. Re'e en!es *. 2. F. J. :. ;. >arb, )aa ov (<inter *-1.). 6Virtual reality6. <hole (arth Review (:.)@ **1ff. http@NNwww.9aronlanier.comNgeneral.html %imes 5nline http@NNvirtualreality.universityvillagepress.comNindex.phpOitemidP2:QcatidPJ 4roo s 0r., A. $. (*---). 6<hatGs Real #bout Virtual Reality6, &((( ?omputer >raphics #nd #pplications, *-(;), *; ,elly, ,., #. +eilbrun and 4. !tac s (*-1-). 6Virtual RealityR an &nterview with 0aron 'anier6, <hole (arth Review, Aall *-1-, no. ;J, pp. */1(*2)

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