Virtually Real
I wrote this article after reading something on this topic in a monthly magazine about 3 years back.
This is the the original write-up without any modifications.
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES HAD ALREADY SHRUNK THE WORLD. BY FURTHER ELIMINATING THE DISTANCE, TECHNOLOGY OF VIRTUAL REALITY HAS OPENED UP NUMEROUS EXCITING POSSIBLITIES OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN RACE.
Virtual Reality as the name suggests is something that is apparent but is ‘extremely experienced’. It is also termed as ‘tele-presence’ (i.e. perception of actual presence) by some scientists. Virtual Reality was first used in aircraft industry for training pilots using flight simulators almost 50 years ago. Student pilots learned how to manoeuvre airplanes by manipulating controls in specially built cockpits (which actually were removed from airplanes and placed on movable platforms). These were then controlled by the student pilots to learn to control an airplane.
Nowadays, it is possible to have dinner with a friend sitting far away from your home. Virtual Reality system has made this possible. It is an outcome of complex research alignment on real-time simulation; computer aided environment generation etc. VR depends on computer graphics, computer aided design, user-interface design, geometric modelling and physiological psychology. It also includes the alignment of robotics, haptics, force feedback, computer architecture etc. Finally it needs entirely new generation processors, graphics boards, accelerators, a host of software applications converted to firmware to render data visually, and it involves high-speed data transmission and networks.
For example, if you want to shake your hands with someone sitting far off from you, what you have to do is simply put on a virtually instrumented glove along with the recipient of your hand shake (the VIG must be linked to a computer, which must be backed by VR technology). When the system connects your friend via Internet etc. you feel your friend’s hand clinched inside the VIG. What happens is the VIG converts your nerve impulses to electronic signals. The whole inner-body of the glove is lined with tiny sensors, which receive your nerve impulse. Then these signals travel over the net to your directed place (friend’s home) where he experiences the same thing as you do. A VR device is fixed with impulse sensors, position trackers and simulation generators.
The main concept of VR deals with the generation of a virtual environment and makes the user feel the components of this environment to be real, i.e. they give a sense of being on the virtual environment. All real world objects have three, dimensional components (viz. x-, y- and z- axes). Today, general PC users can view objects in 2-D on the screen (x- and y- axes) using the mouse. But, upon using joystick or trackball the 3-D experience is possible. Thus, use of joystick and trackball makes dealing with the 3rd Dimension much more effective and interactive.
The most common device using which one can perceive Virtual worlds are Virtually Instrumented Gloves (VIG’s) and Head Mounted Displays (HMD’s). A multi-user system linked using Ethernet can find extreme cost-effective, fast and sophisticated uses of VR technology. The first company focusing on developing VR products was VPL research, developed by Javon Lanier (the VR pioneer). Today, SEGA, Toshiba, Nintendo have joined the race, manufacturing LC shutter glasses, RTS games, VR hardware etc.
Using VR linking, today doctors are able to perform surgery from distant places with the alignment of Telerobotics with VR technology. VR has found extreme uses in training purposes, military operations, telemedicine, GPS (Global Positioning System), Weather forecasting, Virtual mapping, Artificial Intelligence, 3-D animation, gaming and teleconferencing. Corporate client meetings from distant places are being governed by teleconferencing. 3-D building architecture using CAD and VR modelling has been planned in recent times. Now, even scientific models of complicated devices can easily be designed using VR technology.
In this way the applications of VR are uncountable. In today’s world VR has opened new dimensions for research and training. Virtual Reality is a fast developing technology and matter of extensive research. Using Internet one can send textual or voice messages to distant places. More recently sending pictorial and graphic messages, online chatting etc. have also been incorporated. But, using VR the feeling of ‘being there’ can be implemented.
The credit of making VR possible goes to Javon Lanier, but with passage of time and use of newer genres of highly advanced computer systems; there has been an extensive evolution in VR technologies and implements. The day is not far when you being at Kolkata would take a virtual tour of Rome, Egypt, Paris or New York.
This is the the original write-up without any modifications.
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES HAD ALREADY SHRUNK THE WORLD. BY FURTHER ELIMINATING THE DISTANCE, TECHNOLOGY OF VIRTUAL REALITY HAS OPENED UP NUMEROUS EXCITING POSSIBLITIES OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN RACE.
Virtual Reality as the name suggests is something that is apparent but is ‘extremely experienced’. It is also termed as ‘tele-presence’ (i.e. perception of actual presence) by some scientists. Virtual Reality was first used in aircraft industry for training pilots using flight simulators almost 50 years ago. Student pilots learned how to manoeuvre airplanes by manipulating controls in specially built cockpits (which actually were removed from airplanes and placed on movable platforms). These were then controlled by the student pilots to learn to control an airplane.
Nowadays, it is possible to have dinner with a friend sitting far away from your home. Virtual Reality system has made this possible. It is an outcome of complex research alignment on real-time simulation; computer aided environment generation etc. VR depends on computer graphics, computer aided design, user-interface design, geometric modelling and physiological psychology. It also includes the alignment of robotics, haptics, force feedback, computer architecture etc. Finally it needs entirely new generation processors, graphics boards, accelerators, a host of software applications converted to firmware to render data visually, and it involves high-speed data transmission and networks.
For example, if you want to shake your hands with someone sitting far off from you, what you have to do is simply put on a virtually instrumented glove along with the recipient of your hand shake (the VIG must be linked to a computer, which must be backed by VR technology). When the system connects your friend via Internet etc. you feel your friend’s hand clinched inside the VIG. What happens is the VIG converts your nerve impulses to electronic signals. The whole inner-body of the glove is lined with tiny sensors, which receive your nerve impulse. Then these signals travel over the net to your directed place (friend’s home) where he experiences the same thing as you do. A VR device is fixed with impulse sensors, position trackers and simulation generators.
The main concept of VR deals with the generation of a virtual environment and makes the user feel the components of this environment to be real, i.e. they give a sense of being on the virtual environment. All real world objects have three, dimensional components (viz. x-, y- and z- axes). Today, general PC users can view objects in 2-D on the screen (x- and y- axes) using the mouse. But, upon using joystick or trackball the 3-D experience is possible. Thus, use of joystick and trackball makes dealing with the 3rd Dimension much more effective and interactive.
The most common device using which one can perceive Virtual worlds are Virtually Instrumented Gloves (VIG’s) and Head Mounted Displays (HMD’s). A multi-user system linked using Ethernet can find extreme cost-effective, fast and sophisticated uses of VR technology. The first company focusing on developing VR products was VPL research, developed by Javon Lanier (the VR pioneer). Today, SEGA, Toshiba, Nintendo have joined the race, manufacturing LC shutter glasses, RTS games, VR hardware etc.
Using VR linking, today doctors are able to perform surgery from distant places with the alignment of Telerobotics with VR technology. VR has found extreme uses in training purposes, military operations, telemedicine, GPS (Global Positioning System), Weather forecasting, Virtual mapping, Artificial Intelligence, 3-D animation, gaming and teleconferencing. Corporate client meetings from distant places are being governed by teleconferencing. 3-D building architecture using CAD and VR modelling has been planned in recent times. Now, even scientific models of complicated devices can easily be designed using VR technology.
In this way the applications of VR are uncountable. In today’s world VR has opened new dimensions for research and training. Virtual Reality is a fast developing technology and matter of extensive research. Using Internet one can send textual or voice messages to distant places. More recently sending pictorial and graphic messages, online chatting etc. have also been incorporated. But, using VR the feeling of ‘being there’ can be implemented.
The credit of making VR possible goes to Javon Lanier, but with passage of time and use of newer genres of highly advanced computer systems; there has been an extensive evolution in VR technologies and implements. The day is not far when you being at Kolkata would take a virtual tour of Rome, Egypt, Paris or New York.
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