Virtual Reality 2 Essay Research Paper Virtual — страница 2

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texture of sandpaper. Both are equally important in the development of VR. Currently, the most successful development in force- reflective feedback is that of the Argonne Remote Manipulator (ARM). It consists of a group of articulated joints, wrapped by long bunches of electrical cables. The ARM allows for six degrees of movement to give a true feel of movement. Tactile feedback is just as important as force feedback in allowing the user to “feel” computer-generated objects. There are several methods for providing tactile feedback. Some of these include inflating air bladders in a glove, arrays of tiny pins moved by shape memory wires, and even fingertip piezoelectric vibro-tactile actuators. The hope is that in the future some of these techniques will be used to form a

complete body suit that can simulate tactile sensation. Being able to determine where in the virtual world means you need to have orientation and position trackers to follow the movements of the 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. Six degrees of freedom refers to a combination Cartesian coordinate system and an orientation system with rotation angles called rolls, pitch and yaw. 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. Researchers have also thought about supporting the other senses such as taste and smell, but have decided that it wouldn t be a

good idea. 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. The main senses that are relied on in a virtual reality are sight, touch, and hearing. Applications of 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. Architectural designers have also found that VR can be useful in visualizing what their buildings will look like when they are put together. An example, which is interesting, 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 a water fountain is, or how narrow the halls are. 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 awesome to have sword fights, which actually feel real and feel the sword go into your opponent. As well, virtual movies are being developed that will

allow the viewer to interact with the characters in the movie. As it stands every industry has something to gain from VR and in the years to come, it appears that the possibilities are endless. The Future of Virtual Reality 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. 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. As when James Dunion asked Alan Kay how

much money was going to be spent on research for this, Kay replied seriously, An infinite amount . Hopefully, it will be sooner than later though. 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