Virtual reality technologies and applications

Virtual Reality

Virtually reality is a broad term that is used in regards to a computer simulated environment that can simulate a real world experience or an imaginary world that can be rather creative. Most of these computer simulations are primarily based on a visual experience however more sensory information is also being created and intergrade into the experience as well. These systems are mostly used for either training or entertainment; sometimes a combination of each. For example, a virtual reality programs are built to teach everything from piloting an airplane to landing a parachute. These training programs can be invaluable tools to help people learn how to perform advanced tasks that are often too dangerous or expensive to practice in real life.

Figure 1 - VR Parachute Trainer (U.S. Navy, 2002)

Virtual Reality Input Devices

Although the visual experience has served at the center of the virtual reality experience is it was envisioned, focusing attention on the other sensory organs is what heightens the experience. This has been well-known for some time now. In 1960 a cinematographer named Morton Heilig built a console that allowed users to become more engulfed in a movie. The setup was equipped with fans, odor emitters, stereo speakers, and a chair that moved at certain times during the film to make the viewer feel more like they were actually experiencing the movie as if they were there (Strickland, 2012). Although this technology only allowed movie goers to play a passive role in the experience, the same desire to incorporate more and more elements into a virtual reality still drives the development of the technology today.

The first input devices that served users of the first generations of virtual reality technologies were primarily the mouse and keyboard as well as some rudimentary gadgets that were connected to a pc. However, the modern achievements in technology have opened up a flood of possibilities for virtual realities. For example, there are now head mounted displays that can project a simulated environment through a fully immersed experience, as well as arm mounted displays and a wide range of semi-immersion technologies that can also be used to develop a simulation (LaViola, 2010). One of the most popular and wide spread VR applications is known as the cube in which a special projector surrounds the walls in a small room designed to its specifications with images.

Figure 2 - A VR Cube (Sensen, 2007)

Users can now interact with their virtual environment in a variety of ways as well. There are a variety of sensors that can capture a user's movements and integrate these into the experience. A glove was one of the first examples of a body mounted input capture device however now there are full body suits that users can wear to capture their every movement in precise detail. Cameras can also be used as a substitute to a body suit that can serve a similar purpose and track body movements. However, cameras have yet to be able to capture the subtleties of movement as accurately as physical sensors. However, cameras offer a low cost alternative that has been integrated into many popular gaming systems such as the Nintendo Wii that has been introduced the technology on a broad scale.

Virtual Reality in the Military

There are many practical uses for virtual reality in the military and this technology is currently being used on a wide scale. These applications can be grouped into one of three different categories; virtual teams, remote control, and simulations (Bailey, 2011). One such application that has received a tremendous amount of attention is known as smart weapons and remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) (Baumann, N.d.). Remotely controlled aircraft is currently being used in the Middle East by the United States military and these aircrafts are commonly referred to as "drones." The drone aircraft has several advantages over traditional human piloted aircraft. First of all the pilot is in a safer environment and out of harm's way.

However, one of the primary advantages of drone technology is that it can be designed to be smaller and quieter than traditional aircraft. Today's unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can serve a wide range of surveillance and one category of these vehicles, micro air vehicles (MAVs), can weigh less than one pound (The UAV, N.d.). Combat operations can also utilize virtual technology that powers planes that weigh up to 40,000 pounds and have a wide array of combat features. There are five basic categories of UAVs that are used:

Target and decoy - providing ground and aerial gunnery a target that simulates an enemy aircraft or missile