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Virtual Reality
Conceptually, virtual reality describes a computer-created environment that a user can interact with. At the most basic, these environments are purely visual, but there have been attempts made to allow users to interact in other ways, such as adding auditory components or force feedback . While there can be many applications to entertainment, such as allowing moviegoers to immerse themselves in a more realistic environment, there are also many practical applications for virtual reality. In any case where computer simulation of an event would be much more preferable to actual reenactment for safety or monetary reasons, virtual reality can be greatly beneficial. The military, for example, has had a great deal of interest in virtual reality as a means of training and educating servicemen. Virtual reality can be used as a stepping stone towards operating real tools and machinery, or can be used to simulate combat environments too difficult to properly and safely reproduce for training.
AF doctors use
virtual reality to treat PTSD
Virtual reality has been used to help treat military
officers suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The
simulation
allows those with PTSD to be exposed to various elements of their
stress
inducer, possibly helping cure their problem.
Army
Experience Center
The U.S. Army's program, using VR technology as a way of
advertising careers in the military by allowing users to experience
various
aspects of service.
Digital
Karnak UCLA
Professors Use Virtual Reality to Explore Ancient Egypt
Virtual modeling has been used to help review and analyze
historical locations from ancient Egypt.
How
Virtual Reality Works
A comprehensive listing of various aspects of VR, its
history, and applications to various tasks.
How Virtual
Reality Military Applications Work
A comparison of using VR for air, ground, water, and
non-vehicular military simulations.
Virtual Army
Experience
A walkthrough of the Virtual Army Experience program.
Virtual Boy hardware
A demonstration of the Virtual Boy Nintendo console,
a
failed foray into adding virtual elements to gaming systems. The system
merely
attempted to create the illusion of three dimensions and suffered from
technical limitations such as color (only red and black were used for
cost
reasons) and user comfort (eyestrain was a concern for prolonged usage).
Virtual
reality: A bill that shutters Oregon's largest virtual school is not a
'compromise'
Oregon's virtual school networks currently have a two-year
moratorium while policy issues surrounding virtual education are
examined.
Online learning does not have to be rooted in virtual reality, but
improvements
in virtual reality technology can extend into online learning.
Virtual Reality -
The Workflow
Another compilation of information surrounding VR’s history
and current applications.
Apple to make 3-D Screens
Apple's R&D labs are hard at work coming up with tomorrow's technology. One example is automatically adjusting the perspective of 3D objects based on a user's changing head positions. Others detail improvements to portable devices like iPods and iPhones.
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InTech@GMU.edu Finley Building, Room 202 4400 University Drive, MS 3C6 Fairfax, VA 22030-4444 |
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