VIRTUAL REALITYPresented By:

Painuly Sadbhav Anil

INTRODUCTION Virtual reality is the replication of

an environment that simulates a physical presence in places in the real world or an imagined world, allowing the user to interact in that world. Virtual realities artificially create sensory experiences, which can include sight, touch, hearing, and smell.

It is also referred to as immersive multimedia, computer-simulated reality, artificial reality or synthesized reality.

INTRODUCTION (CONTD)

The first approach to create a virtual reality system was taken by Morton Heilig. He created a multi-sensory simulator called The Sensorama.

Next, Ivan Sutherland created the very first virtual reality Head-Mounted Display called The Sword Of Damocles.

The first prototype of a force-feedback system was developed at the University of North Carolina called Grope.

Following these several advancements were made such as VCASS, DataGlove, BOOM, CAVE and so on.

INTRODUCTION (CONTD)

After several such advancements, mainstream attention had shifted away from the Virtual Reality concept due to lack of general availability, cost constraints and disappointing results.

Recently, however, Virtual Reality has again captured mainstream attention due to devices like Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, Teslasuit and such.

As such, many more devices have been developed, or are being developed, to enable Virtual Reality like – HTC Vive, VirtuaSphere, etc.

TYPES OF VR SYSTEMSAlthough it is almost impossible to classify all kinds of VR systems using just

one classification, one of the ways we can classify VR systems is categorizing them based on the levels of immersion.

The classification is as follows: Non-Immersive VR Systems Immersive VR Systems Semi-Immersive VR SystemsThere is one subclass of VR Systems than cannot be grouped under any of the

above categories. We call this Computer-Mediated Reality.

Non-Immersive Virtual Reality SystemsAlso known as DesktopVR or Window on World (WoW) systems,

Non-Immersive virtual reality systems are usually the simplest and the least expensive of the various systems. As the name suggests, these have the least immersive implementation of virtual reality techniques. Using a desktop (or a mobile), the virtual environment can be viewed through a portal or window by using a standard high-resolution display.

TYPES OF VR SYSTEMS (CONTD)

Immersive VR Systems In Immersive virtual reality

systems, the user’s viewpoint is totally immersed within a completely virtual world. The user is placed inside the virtual reality environment; this environment is assigned properties which make it look and act real in terms of visual and, in some cases, aural and tactile perception. The user will be unknowing of the real world and any sensory data received by the user will be from the virtual reality environment.

TYPES OF VR SYSTEMS (CONTD)

Semi-immersive systemsSemi-immersive systems are

a relatively new implementation of VR technology and borrow considerably from technologies developed in the flight simulation field. These systems comprise of a relatively high-performance graphics computing system which can be coupled with either – A large screen monitor, A large screen projector system or Multiple television projector systems. By use of a wide field of view, these systems increase the feeling of immersion (or presence) experienced by the user.

TYPES OF VR SYSTEMS (CONTD)

Computer-Mediated Reality Systems Computer-mediated reality

refers to the ability to add information to, subtract information from, or otherwise manipulate one’s perception of reality through the use of a wearable computer or a hand-held device, such as a smartphone. The main subset of this system is the Mixed Reality System, also known as Hybrid Reality Systems. Augmented Reality Systems are a subset of the mixed reality system.

ARCHITECTURE

The above figure shows the main components of a generic VR system and the flow of data/information

World Database

InputProcessor

P

OutputProcessor

PSimulationProcesser

InputDevices

OutputDevice

ARCHITECTURE (CONTD)

Input DevicesAlthough there are a large

variety of devices that are used for user input, we can generally classify these into the following categories.

Head and Eye Tracking Devices Body Position and Orientation Tracking Conventional Input Devices Voice Recognition

ARCHITECTURE (CONTD)

Input ProcessorThe Input Processer of a VR program controls the devices used to

input information to the computer. We have already seen that there are a wide variety of input devices that can be used. The selection is made based on the level of immersion required.

Generally, the input processing of a VR system is kept simple. The objective is to gather co-ordinate data and send it to the rest of the system with minimal lag time.

Simulation ProcessorThe core of a VR system is the simulation system (or VR engine).

The Simulation processor knows about the objects and various inputs. It handles the interactions, the scripted object actions, simulations of physical laws (real or imaginary) and determines the world status. This simulation is basically a discrete process that is iterated once for each frame.

ARCHITECTURE (CONTD)

World DatabaseThe storage of information on objects and the world is a major

part of the design of a VR system. The primary things that are stored in the World Database are the objects that inhabit the world, scripts that describe the actions of those objects or the user, lighting, program controls and hardware device support.

Rendering ProcessorThe rendering processor of a VR program is those that create the

sensations that are output to the user. Generally, we have separate rendering processors for visual, auditory, haptic and other sensory systems. Each renderer would take a description of the world state from the simulation processor or derive it directly from the World Database for each frame.

ARCHITECTURE (CONTD)

Output DevicesSimilar to Input, there are

a large number of devices we can use for feedback to a user. We generally classify those into:

Visual Feedback Auditory Feedback Haptic Feedback Other Senses

APPLICATIONS Virtual reality provides new forms and

methods of visualization, drawing on the strengths of visual representations.

Virtual reality motivates students. It requires interaction and encourages active participation rather than passivity.

Virtual reality allows the learner to proceed through an experience during a broad time period not fixed by a regular class schedule, at their own pace.

EDUCATION & LEARNING

APPLICATIONS VR plays an important role in combat

training for the military. Moreover, any operator's display can be

augmented with important sensor information, warnings and suggested procedures.

VR is also used in flight simulation for the Air Force where people are trained to be pilots. Civilian pilots are also sometimes trained using simulations.

The same goes for truck driving simulators, in which Belgian firemen are for example trained to drive in a way that prevents as much damage as possible.

MILITARY & TRAINING

APPLICATIONS Training for surgeons is usually cadavers

and a gradual process of assisting more experienced doctors before taking over tasks and bigger portions of the surgery. Virtual Reality could provide another means of practise without any risk to real patients.

The primary use of VR in a therapeutic role is its application to various forms of exposure therapy, including phobia treatments.

MEDICINE & THERAPY

APPLICATIONS Entertainment Gaming Heritage (Museums) Archaeology Design Architecture

....AND MANY MORE

DRAWBACKS Still limited by technology Health & safety concerns Psychological concerns – desensitization Virtual criminality (accountability) Virtual Reality addiction & Escapism Traditional design principles crumble in VR

CONCLUSIONVirtual environment technology has been developing over a long

period, and offering presence simulation to users as an interface to a synthesized world and has become the research agenda for a growing community of researchers and industries. Examples of applications areas that have benefited from VR technology are virtual prototyping, simulation and training, tele-presence and teleo-peration, and augmented reality.

As a conclusion, we can say that given the complexity of VR, the importance of human factors, and the lack of standard solutions, the secret of successfully implementing professional VR applications is to set realistic expectations for the technology

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