Vr Essay, Research Paper

Virtual Reality – What it is and How it WorksImagine being able to point into the sky and fly. Orperhaps walk through space and connect molecules together.These are some of the dreams that have come with theinvention of virtual reality. With the introduction ofcomputers, numerous applications have been enhanced orcreated. The newest technology that is being tapped is thatof artificial reality, or “virtual reality” (VR). WhenMorton Heilig first got a patent for his “SensoramaSimulator” in 1962, he had no idea that 30 years laterpeople would still be trying to simulate reality and thatthey would be doing it so effectively. Jaron Lanier firstcoined the phrase “virtual reality” around 1989, and it hasstuck ever since. Unfortunately, this catchy name hascaused people to dream up incredible uses for thistechnology including using it as a sort of drug. This becameevident when, among other people, Timothy Leary becameinterested in VR. This has also worried some of theresearchers who are trying to create very real applicationsfor medical, space, physical, chemical, and entertainmentuses among other things.In order to create this alternate reality, however, you

need to find ways to create the illusion of reality with apiece of machinery known as the computer. This is done withseveral computer-user interfaces used to simulate thesenses. Among these, are stereoscopic glasses to make thesimulated world look real, a 3D auditory display to givedepth to sound, sensor lined gloves to simulate tactilefeedback, and head-trackers to follow the orientation of thehead. Since the technology is fairly young, theseinterfaces have not been perfected, making for a somewhatcartoonish simulated reality.Stereoscopic vision is probably the most importantfeature of VR because in real life, people rely mainly onvision to get places and do things. The eyes areapproximately 6.5 centimeters apart, and allow you to have afull-colour, three-dimensional view of the world.Stereoscopy, in itself, is not a very new idea, but the newtwist is trying to generate completely new images in real-time. In 1933, Sir Charles Wheatstone invented the firststereoscope with the same basic principle being used intoday’s head-mounted displays. Presenting different viewsto each eye gives the illusion of three dimensions. Theglasses that are used today work by using what is called an”electronic shutter”. The lenses of the glasses interleave+