This document discusses applications of virtual reality (VR) technology. It describes how VR can be used to allow workers to complete dangerous tasks remotely through teleoperation. It also discusses how VR is used in scientific visualization, such as allowing geologists to analyze planetary surfaces remotely. Additionally, the document outlines how VR can be used in medicine for training and experimental research. It provides examples of VR systems, including non-immersive, augmented reality, and immersive systems. Input and output devices for VR are also described.
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Visual reality
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4. Operations in dangerous environments
There are still many examples of people
working in dangerous or hardship
environments that could benefit from
the use of VR-mediated teleportation.
Workers in radioactive, space, or toxic
environments could be relocated to the
safety of a VR environment where they
could 'handle' any hazardous materials
without any real danger using
teleoperation or telepresence.
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6. Scientific Visualization
Scientific Visualization provides the
researcher with immediate graphical
feedback during the course of the
computations and gives him/her the ability
to 'steer' the solution process.
Application at NASA Ames Research Center
is the Virtual Planetary Exploration. It
helps planetary geologists to remotely
analyze the surface of a planet. They use VR
techniques to roam planetary terrains.
7. NASA VR Mars navigation simulation
Geologists remote
analyzing the
surface of a planet
at NASA
8. Medicine
Until now experimental research and education
in medicine was mainly based on dissection and
study of plastic models. Computerized 3D human
models provide a new approach to research and
education in medicine. Experimenting medical
research with virtual patients will be a reality.
We will be able to create not only realistic
looking virtual patients, but also histological
and bone structures. With the simulation of the
entire physiology of the human body,
11. Why Virtual Reality is needed?
Education and training
The most common example is the flight
simulator. This type of simulator has shown
the benefits of simulation environments for
training. They have lower operating costs
and are safer to use than real aircraft.
They also allow the simulation of dangerous
scenarios not allowable with real aircraft.
12. Virtual Reality Systems
VR Systems can be divided into three groups
non-immersive systems (like workstations)
See information about the real world,
presented via computer - location based
services, GIS .
hybrid systems (graphics on top of real world)
also called: Augmented reality systems
Stay in real world, but see simulated objects
immersive systems (like HMD or CAVE)
See simulated world and "be" in that
simulated world
17. Immersive systems (CAVE)
See simulated world and "be" in that simulated world
• The CAVE (Cave
Automatic Virtual
Environment)
provides the
illusion of
immersion by
projecting stereo
images on the
walls and floor of a
room-sized cube.
• Several persons
wearing
lightweight stereo
glasses can enter
and walk freely
inside the CAVE.
19. Hardware used in VR
Input devices:
A variety of input devices allow the
user to navigate through a virtual
environment and to interact with
virtual objects. Directional sound,
tactile and force feedback devices,
voice recognition and other
technologies are being employed to
enrich the immersive experience and to
create more "sensualized" interfaces.
20. Input Devices (The Data Glove)
the sensors measure the bending angles of the joints of the thumb and
the lower and middle knuckles of the others fingers, Attached to the
back is a Polhemus sensor to measure orientation and position of the
gloved hand. This
information, along with the ten flex angles for the knuckles is
transmitted through a serial communication line to the host computer.
21. Input Devices
(3D Mouse and Space Ball)
The Logitech 3D mouse Figure is based on a ultrasonic
position reference array, which is a tripod consisting of three
ultrasonic speakers set in a triangular position, emits
ultrasonic sound signals from each of the three transmitters.
These are used to track the receiver position, orientation and
movement. It provides proportional output in all 6 degrees of
freedom: X, Y, Z, Pitch, Yaw, and Roll.
22. Input Devices (Motion Trackers)
The Motion Tracking system is based on magnetic sensors
which are attached to the user. Most common are sensors
measuring the intensity of a magnetic field generated at a
reference point. The motion of the different segments is tracked
using magnetic sensors . These sensors return raw data (e.g.
positions and orientations) expressed in a single frame system..
23. Other Input Devices
MIDI keyboard
A MIDI keyboard controller has 88 keys, any of which
can be struck within a fraction of second. Each key
transmits velocity of keystroke as well as pressure
after the key is pressed.
Real-time video input
SIRIUS® Video card from Silicon Graphics. With
SIRIUS®, images are digitized at a frequency of 25 Hz
(PAL) or 30 Hz (NTSC) and may be analyzed by the VR
program.
Real-time audio input
Speech synthesis facilities are of clear utility in a VR
environment especially for command feedback.
Although speech synthesis software is available even
at the personal computer level, some improvement is
still needed, particularly in the quality of speech.
24. Output Devices
Head-mounted displays (HMDs)
The head-mounted display (HMD) was the first device providing its wearer
with an immersive experience. A typical HMD houses two miniature display
screens and an optical system that channels the images from the screens to
the eyes, thereby, presenting a stereo view of a virtual world. As a result, the
viewer can look around and walk through the surrounding virtual
environment.
25. BOOM (Binocular Omni-
Orientation Monitor)
The BOOM (Binocular Omni-Orientation Monitor) from Fake space is
a head-coupled stereoscopic display device. Screens and optical
system are housed in a box that is attached to a multi-link arm. The
user looks into the box through two holes, sees the virtual world, and
can guide the box to any position within the operational volume of
the device.
26. Virtual Reality developing tools
(Virtual Reality Modeling Language)
In addition to HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), that has
become a standard authoring tool for the creation of home
pages, VRML provides three-dimensional worlds with
integrated hyperlinks on the Web..
The viewing of VRML models via a VRML plug-in for Web
browsers is usually done on a graphics monitor under mouse-
control and, therefore, not fully immersive.
However the syntax and data structure of VRML provide an
excellent tool for the modeling of three-dimensional worlds
that are functional and interactive and that can, ultimately, be
transferred into fully immersive viewing systems.
The current version VRML 2.0 has become an international
ISO/IEC standard under the name VRML97.
27. The Future of Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality is a growing industry
PC and specialized hardware are
getting better, faster and cheaper
because of development in VR.
Maybe 3D user interfaces will replace
the windows based ones?
Huge demand for VRML programmers
in near future.
Revolution in gaming industries
