NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
... head and other parts of the body that are interfacing with the computer. Many companies have developed successful methods of allowing six degrees of freedom including Polhemus Research, and Shooting Star Technology. Six degrees of freedom refers to a combination cartesian coordinate system and an orientation system with rotation angles called roll, pitch and yaw. The ADL- 1 from Shooting Star is a sophisticated and inexpensive (relative to other trackers) 6 D tracking system which is mounted on the head, and converts position and orientation information into a readable form for the computer.
The machine calculates head / object position by the use of a lightweight, multiply-jointed arm. Sensors mounted on this arm measure the angles of the joints. The computer-based control unit uses these angles to compute position-orientation information so that the user can manipulate a virtual world. The joint angle transducers use conductive plastic potentiometers and ball bearings so that this machine is heavy duty. Time-lag is eliminated by the direct-reading transducers and high speed microprocessor, allowing for a maximum update rate of approximately 300 measurements / second .
Another system developed by Ascension Technology does basically the same thing as the ADL- 1, but the sensor is in the form of a small cube which can fit in the users hand or in a computer mouse specially developed to encase it. The Ascension Bird is the first system that generates and senses DC magnetic fields. The Ascension Bird first measures the earth's magnetic field and then the steady magnetic field generated by the transmitter. The earth's field is then subtracted from the total, which allows one to yield true position and orientation measurements. The existing electromagnetic systems transmit a rapidly varying AC field. As this field varies, eddy currents are induced in nearby metals which causes the metals to become electromagnets which distort the measurements.
The Ascension Bird uses a steady DC magnetic filed which does not create an eddy current. The update rate of the Bird is 100 measurements / second . However, the Bird has a small lag of about 1 / 60 th of a second which is noticeable. Researchers have also thought about supporting the other senses such as taste and smell, but have decided that it is unfeasible to do.
Smell would be possible, and would enhance reality, but there is a certain problem with the fact that there is only a limited spectrum of smells that could be simulated. Taste is basically a disgusting premise from most standpoints. It might be useful for entertainment purposes, but has almost no purpose for researchers or developers. For one thing, people would have to put some kind of receptors in their mouths and it would be very unsanitary.
Thus, the main senses that are relied on in a virtual reality are sight, touch, and hearing. Virtual Reality has promise for nearly every industry ranging from architecture and design to movies and entertainment, but the real industry to gain from this technology is science, in general. The money that can be saved examining the feasibility of experiments in an artificial world before they are done could be great, and the money saved on energy used to operate such things as wind tunnels quite large. The best example of how VR can help science is that of the "molecular docking" experiments being done in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Scientists at the University of North Carolina have developed a system that simulated the bonding of molecules. But instead of using complicated formulas to determine bonding energy, or illegible stick drawings, the potential chemist can don a high-tech head-mounted display, attach themselves to an artificial arm from the ceiling and actually push the molecules together to determine whether or not they can be connected. The chemical bonding process takes on a sort of puzzle-like quality, in which even children could learn to form bonds using a trial and error method. Architectural designers have also found that VR can be useful in visualizing what their buildings will look like when they are put together. Often, using a 2 D diagram to represent a 3 D home is confusing, and the people that fund large projects would like to be able to see what they are paying for before it is constructed.
An example which is fascinating would be that of designing an elementary school. Designers could walk in the school from a child's perspective to gain insight on how high that water fountain is, or how narrow the halls are. Product designers could also use VR in similar ways to test their products. NASA and other aerospace facilities are concentrating research on such things as human factors engineering, virtual prototyping of buildings and military devices, aerodynamic analysis, flight simulation, 3 D data visualization, satellite position fixing, and planetary exploration simulations. Such things as virtual wind tunnels have been in development for a couple years and could save money and energy for aerospace companies. Medical researchers have been using VR techniques to synthesize diagnostic images of a patient's body to do "predictive" modeling of radiation treatment using images created by ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and X- ray.
A radiation therapist in a virtual would could view and expose a tumour at any angle and then model specific doses and configurations of radiation beams to aim at the tumour more effectively. Since radiation destroys human tissue easily, there is no allowance for error. Also, doctors could use "virtual cadavers" to practice rare operations which are tough to perform. This is an excellent use because one could perform the operation over and over without the worry of hurting any human life.
However, this sort of practice may have it's limitations because of the fact that it is only a virtual world. As well, at this time, the computer-user interfaces are not well enough developed and it is estimated that it will take 5 to 10 years to develop this technology. In Japan, a company called Matsushita Electric World Ltd. is using VR to sell their products. They employ a VPL Research head-mounted display linked to a high-powered computer to help prospective customers design their own kitchens.
Being able to see what your kitchen will look like before you actually refurnish could help you save from costly mistakes in the future. The entertainment industry stands to gain a lot from VR. With the video game revolution of bigger and better games coming out all the time, this could be the biggest breakthrough ever. It would be fantastic to have sword fights which actually feel real. As well, virtual movies (also called vroom ies) are being developed with allow the viewer to interact with the characters in the movie.
Universal Studios among others is developing a virtual reality amusement park which will incorporate these games and vroom ies. As it stands, almost every industry has something to gain from VR and in the years to comes, it appears that the possibilities are endless. In the coming years, as more research is done we are bound to see VR become as mainstay in our homes and at work. As the computers become faster, they will be able to create more realistic graphic images to simulate reality better. As well, new interfaces will be developed which will simulate force and tactile feedback more effectively to enhance artificial reality that much more. This is the birth of a new technology and it will be interesting to see how it develops in the years to come.
However, it may take longer than people think for it to come into the mainstream. Millions of dollars in research must be done, and only select industries can afford to pay for this. Hopefully, it will be sooner than later though. It is very possible that in the future we will be communicating with virtual phones. Nippon Telephone and Telegraph (NTT) in Japan is developing a system which will allow one person to see a 3 D image of the other using VR techniques.
In the future, it is conceivable that businessmen may hold conferences in a virtual meeting hall when they are actually at each ends of the world. NTT is developing a new method of telephone transmission using fiber optics which will allow for much larger amounts of information to be passed through the phone lines. This system is called the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) which will help allow VR to be used in conjunction with other communication methods. Right now, it is very expensive to purchase, with the head-mounted display costing anywhere from about $ 20, 000 to $ 1, 000, 000 for NASA's Super Cockpit. In the future, VR will be available to the end-user at home for under $ 1000 and will be of better quality than that being developed today. The support for it will be about as good as it is currently for plain computers, and it is possible that VR could become a very useful teaching tool.
Sources of Information: Books and Periodicals Benning field, Diamond. "The Virtues of Virtual Reality. " Star Date, July/Aug. 1991, pp. 14 - 15. Burrill, William. "Virtual Reality. " Toronto Star, 13 July 1991, pp. J 1 - 3. Brill, Louis M. "Facing Interface Issues. " Computer Graphics World, April 1992, pp. 48 - 58. Davis, Bennett. "Grand Illusions. " Discover, June 1990, pp. 36 - 41. Emmett, Arielle. "Down to Earth: Practical Applications of Virtual Reality Find Commercial Uses. " Peterson, Ivars. "Recipes for Artificial Realities. " Science News, 24 Nov. 1990, pp. 328 - 329.
Peterson, Ivars. "Looking-Glass Worlds. " Science News, January 4, 1992, pp. 8 - 15. Porter, Stephen. "Virtual Reality. " Computer Graphics World, March 1992, pp. 42 - 43. Rheingold, Howard. Virtual Reality. Toronto: Summit Books, 1991.
Tisdale, Sallie. "It's Been Real. " Esquire, April 1991, pp. 36 - 40.
Free research essays on topics related to: computer graphics, north carolina, magnetic field, virtual world, virtual reality
Research essay sample on Virtual Reality Magnetic Field
