Virtual Reality

virtual reality – noun a realistic simulation of an environment, including three-dimensional graphics, by a computer system using interactive software and hardware.

Ok now realistically speaking - all fantasies aside - we are no where near achieving the realism of virtual reality as depicted in the "past media" as we are to living in Euphoria. One of my favourite exmaples that I can thing up of is the cartoon Johnny Quest (1964). This was basically about a teenage boy who would aide his father in adventures in a cyberspace realm known as "Questworld", which was depicted using 3-D computer animation.

In the cartoon, the characters would simply jump in to their special chairs, slide special glasses to the front of their eyes and "plug in" to their world. Or like in The Matrix (1999) where their characters would also "plug in" to their virtual world and instantly be transported there. Regardless of the method, what both of these examples dhow is that in the virtual world everything "looks, feels, smells, sounds and tastes" ultra real.

I mean we are led to believe that this age where this is possible is already here. I'm not sayin that this isn't possible (when this barrier is broken people will begin uploading their minds in to virtual worlds and "immigrate" there, the age where all hell will break loose), just that that age still is a little way off still. That's not to say that there haven't been any developments in that field. I admit that this intrigues me to find out more on the developments, but what pisses me off is that the only facility that is using it principally is the army - and this isn't even for world peace.

Now the virtual reality technology that the army use allows their users to interact with a computer-simulated environment, be it a real or imagined one. The current VR environments are primarily visual experiences displayed either ona computer screen on special goggles, and where needed extra sensory outputs are supplied, e.g. speakers/headphones for audio. Users can interact with the virtual environment through the standard keyboard/joypad, or through multimoda devices such as a wired glove, the polhemus boom arm or the omnidirectional treadmill.

Wired Glove
A wired glove which is used for virtual reality interaction looks exactly like a normal glove...with loadsa wires runing through it. Various sensor technologies are implanted within it to capture physical data such as the motion or the bending of the fingers. To track the motion of the glove, something like a magnetic tracking device or inertial device is attatched to capture the global position/rotation data of the glove. This input data is then translated into what ever language the accompanying software understands, so then any no. of mvements can mean anything. This can be used for many things, e.g. the different gestures used for sign language.

Something I am still amazed by is the haptic feedback enabled wire glove. This glove doesn't only allow it to be used as an input source but also an out put source, it simulates to the user teh sense of touch. You can tell this is oviously going to be a really over priced high end item. I had one such game accessory (pretty sure it qualifies here) called the nintendo Power Glove. This was pretty expensive when bought at that time, and trust me it was the shiit. Even though the motion tracker and the finger bending sensors weren't all that (compared to today), having that on made me feel something like Johnny Quest - it had buttons on the back and everything.

NOTE: WIRED GLOVES ARE OFTEN ALELD DATAGLOVES OR CYBERGLOVES, THESE TWO NAMES ARE A TRADEMARK AND RESPECTIVLY BELONG TO "SUN MICROSYSTEMS".

Omnidirectional Tread Mill
This is a device that allows a person to perform locomotive motion in any direction. Like the image above shows, you just stand on the treadmill and strap in, and then once the game/simulation starts your movement motions are translated in to the game and allow you to navigate within the virtual environment as if your really there. There are many advantages to this that are forseen when people start thinking that it can nly be used for gaming purposes, for example - it can be used for physical rehabilitation, post traumatic stress disorder treatment, training or even for motion capture in movies or even for real time virtual actor input.

Currently Head Mounted Displays (HMD) are used as the visual aid for the graphics, and if they can somehow match the quality of the Playstation 3 graphics (since this has already been created), then I think pretty soon we will be able to reach a opint of near realism. After some light research, I find that currently work is being done on improving the sound enhancements so that it outputs 3-d sound along with the the sight - since these are the senses which best lend themselves to high quality simulation. But I still think they should focus (even if a little bit) on the touch sensors as this is what can make everything that much more real.

NOTE: SONY HAS FILES FOR AND RECIEVED A PATIENT (APR 7, 2005) TO EXPERIMENT WITH BEAMING DIFF. FREQUENCIES AND PATTERNS OF ULTRA SONIC WAVES DIRECTLY IN TO THE BRAIN TO RECREATE ALL FIVE SENSES.

I SAID SO: REGARDING ABOVE, HUMAN BRAIN INTEGRITY WILL COME CRASHING DOWN AFTER MULTIPLE USE OF THAT TECHNOLOGY

NOTE TO SELF: All we've gotta do is think a little back inside the box and we could use these equipmentsand devices in other areas for development.

Links:
http://www-vrl.umich.edu/intro/index.html
http://vrlab.epfl.ch/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonny_Quest
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/3512/jqra.html