An Explanation, The History, The Applications, and The Future of
VIRTUAL REALITY
What
first comes to your mind when you hear the words Virtual Reality? Interactive
video games?Cybersex?
Movies like "The Lawnmower Man"? Although these are some modern day
entertainment applications, there is much more to the whole concept. To fully
understand this concept, you have to examine many things, such as the
definition, the history and evolution of it, applications, and the future of
this amazing piece of technology.
What is Virtual Reality? If you look at each word separately in the technical
definitions, they appear to be opposites. According to Merriam Webster’s
Collegiate Dictionary 10th edition virtual means: Being as such in essence or
effect though not formally glance, you might wonder how these two words could be
put together to form even a slightly logical, and understandable phrase. At
least that's what I thought. The way I looked at it reality is one-hundred
percent totally true and unswayable, while virtual was something that seemed
real, but not quite, and it was like a big gray area of vagueness. To try to
find this "association" between two words that I thought would create an
oxymoron, I went to that wonderful dictionary once again to look up the phrase
'virtual reality', and that's when it all came together. Virtual Reality is an
artificial environment which is experienced through sensory stimuli (sights and
sounds) provided by a computer and in which one's actions partially determine
what happens in the environment. Whoa! Now that's a mouthful. So what does all
of this have to do with anything anyway? I came to the conclusion that plain and
simple, virtual reality is us, the users, interacting with the computer and
actually becoming a part of what is happening. I don't know about you, but to
me, that just sounds exciting.
Even though the idea of Virtual Reality is appealing to many of us, and we want
to get right to the fun stuff like video game and cool movies, it's important
that we first examine how the whole concept came about. How it was developed,
and the stages it had to go through in evolving are things that people would
rather overlook because they are characterized as being boring, when actually
they are very important fundamentals that shouldn't be ignored. And in all
reality the facts are quite amazing, and very interesting. Many people played a
role in the development of Virtual Reality, too many to mention here, but three
important men were Douglas Engelbart, Ivan Sutherland, and Myron Krueger. Now,
lets take a look at the history of Virtual Reality.
Believe it or not,
the whole concept of Virtual Reality began with the realization that computer
screens could be used instead of paper to view output. To us this may seem quite
absurd, since this is very commonplace. But back in the 1950's when computers
were very rare and inaccessible, it was a major breakthrough for Douglas
Engelbart. (The name Engelbart, I'm assuming, is a derivation of Engebretson,
which I'm sure is why Alec is so smart.) At this same time it became apparent to
him that the screens could also be used to control the computer by providing it
with input. He knew this knowledge he possessed was revolutionary, but in order
for it to be effective, it was necessary for him to completely develop and
organize his thoughts. Because of this and the time consumed trying to gain
access to the few computers that were available, it was a good ten years before
he had the resources to build the mind augmentation devices that he'd been
devising for so long. These devices, developed in his lab, are the predecessors
for some of the key human-computer interface developments used today. To give
you an idea of how elementary we would consider one of these devices by today's
standards, he used one in 1968 to give a demonstration. It was a very crude
pointing device: the first mouse. We use mice every day and don't think twice.
It's hard to believe that at one point it was a revolutionary idea. But even
Alan Kay, author of The Art of Human-Computer Interface Design, said, "We
thought of Douglas as Moses opening the Red Sea..." (Palfreman and Swade, 1991).
Today Engelbart is credited as being the inventor of word processing. Bummer, so
does that mean if he wouldn't have created it, that I wouldn't have to be typing
this right now(VR,32)?
Another big name in
Virtual Reality is Ivan Sutherland. He felt a big problem in the current usage
of computers was that humans spent too much time conforming to computers. His
view was that computers should be more 'human compatible'. Because of these
feelings he worked to develop new and better ways to make this happen. He helped
to found the whole computer graphic industry which had honored him with the
title "father of computer graphics" because of his efforts in pioneering 2-D and
3-D images. This also lead to his 1962 demonstration of using a light pen to
draw images on a computer screen, a procedure that lead to the multi-million
dollar computer aided design industry. From there, things really started
rolling. By 1966, Sutherland’s intuitiveness had aided him in his development of
the first computer-based head-mounted display (HMD). It's kind of ironic though,
it's called a head-mounted display, but there's no way you could ever wear it on
your head without any other means of support because it was so big. The way it
operated is it used two small cathode ray tubes (one mounted by each ear) to
generate monoscopic wire-frame images that could be seen when a mechanical
device determined where the user was looking. It wasn't until 1970 though, that
the first fully functional HMD was completed. The completed version included
several hardware accelerators to improve the graphics and generate stereoscopic
images instead of monoscopic ones. This same technology he used to create these
first HMDs is what NASA used twenty years later when creating the modern virtual
environment(VR,33).
During the same time
period that Sutherland was perfecting his HMD system, >Myron Krueger was busy
developing ways to combine computers with video systems, thus creating
artificial realities. Although an artificial reality is similar to what we know
today as virtual reality, there is a crucial difference. In artificial reality
(also known as projected reality) you see yourself projected onto the screen and
into the action. On the other hand, virtual reality is more of actually
experiencing yourself in the environment. The artificial realities he created
came about for the same purpose of what Engelbart was trying to accomplish with
his studies. Krueger wanted computers to establish a better understanding of
humans instead of humans having to learn about computers. To do this, he
established some simple, interactive demonstrations that allowed users to walk
up and immediately start interacting with computer-generated images. In 1976 his
work paid off when his most famous work, VIDEOPLACE, was introduced. VIDEOPLACE
was an interactive computer game in which the image of the user is projected
onto a large screen in a darkened room in the form of a silhouette. This allowed
users to "fingerpaint" by holding up their finger and moving it. When they moved
their finger, a stream of colored paint appeared to match the movements of the
finger. The user was also allowed to erase their picture by holding up all five
fingers. As an extra feature, an animated creature CRITTER could come out and
chase your image and try to climb up to your head. Or, he would go out to the
end of your arm and hang from your fingers, then you could make him fall to the
ground with an abrupt movement. Now that sounds like fun! Krueger was totally
redefining how humans interacted with computers by video image processing and
computer graphics to create new artistic availabilities that could be used in
his artificial realities. By doing this he was pioneering a unique form of
non-intrusive visual environments. By non-intrusive, Krueger meant that no
special clothing or apparatus had to be worn. It is very easy to see how
Krueger's artificial realities have evolved into, and lead to, the creation of
today's Virtual Reality(VR,37)!
One of the most
common virtual reality devices used today are flight
simulators. In 1929 they consisted of a full-sized mock-up of a fighter cockpit
that was mounted on a motion platform. The platform would actually cause the
cockpit to jerk back and forth, and roll around based on the pilots actions. The
major limitation here was that it had no visual feedback so the training
sessions consisted of only instrument flying. By the early 1950's however, they
were replaced by video cameras that were mounted on movable platforms situated
over the scale models of airports. The camera was controlled by the pilots
joystick allowing him to see the area he was flying over at different angles
because the camera actually "flew" over the model. The next big step in the
development of simulators came in 1968 when Sutherland teamed up with David
Evans to create "scene generators". Scene generators could be used to digitalize
any 3-D object into images that could be manipulated to where they could be
viewed from any vantage point. Rapid scenes could be played in succession in
front of the pilots eyes and would appear to be movie-like to the pilot. Because
the pilot controlled the camera platform there was an actual flying sensation
created. The only problem left was the vastness of these models. Because they
were so big the cost of the simulators was also high. Finally in 1979,
experimentation with HMD models lead to a decrease in cost by reducing the
physical size. One of the first commercially available HMD simulators was the
VITAL helmet, designed by McDonnell Douglas. The reason the VITAL helmet was so
successful was because it used a device called an electromagnetic head tracker
to sense where the pilot was looking. It also had a monochromatic cathode ray
tube mounted by each ear that projected the image in front of the pilots eyes.
Because of this the pilot could see and manipulate the controls in the cockpit
at the same time as seeing what he knew to be the outside
world.
Have you ever thought about the map in
your glove box? Have you ever wondered why someone drew out all of those symbols
and roads instead of just using a radar picture or some type of an
aerial-view-picture. Wouldn't it be more appropriate and meaningful to see the
actual river instead of a line someone drew who thinks that is the path of the
river, and actually see the trees in the national parks instead of a bunch of
green squiggles? Well, not really. If you would see all of the features the land
has to offer on a map most likely you would get bogged down with all the detail
of the map you would never find the road you were looking for. This is the
conclusion that Thomas Furness III and the military came up with back in 1966.
In 1982 Furness presented a prototype of the
Visually Coupled Airborne Systems Simulator(VCASS). A pilot has many things to
concentrate on when fighting radar, missiles, guns, enemies, fuel, etc. So why
should he also have to worry about all the little unnecessary details of the
land?
The VCASS took care of that problem.
Pilots in a mock cockpit were equipped with a oversized helmet. This helmet
projected synthetic images onto screens in the helmet. Images of landmarks,
flight paths and other obstacles were represented in simpler block forms
symbolic of their real identities, thus reducing the distractions of too much
information at once. The helmet used a 6D position and orientation tracker which
sent a signal out and then received another signal which was then interpreted
into the symbolic renderings that the pilot sees. The pilot also would see the
necessary instruments normally on his panel in his helmet. Not only did it
render the land as symbols and display the needed instruments, but it also took
away the distraction of passing clouds, as far as the pilot was concerned it was
a clear sky all the way to the horizon when in reality he could be in the middle
of a big fluffy cloud. Now with all of the distractions of the outside world
removed the pilot could easily concentrate on fighting the enemy instead of
trying to decipher all the visual instruments on his panel and the world
outside. The VCASS, being one of the most advanced simulators ever developed,
has shown the benefits of VR techniques in the fields of aviation(VR,39-40).
When creating the
first virtual worlds Marc Bolas was a Stanford Student. Marc persuaded his
professors to do a project that would make a new type of world. This would be no
small task, you see nobody had ever made a “new world” before, so Marc had
nothing to base his research on. He had to come up with all the thoughts and
ideas on his own. Marc was pioneering a new field in computer design.
When starting out he tried to duplicate the
natural world. By studying a set of blueprints, he constructed a virtual office
building. His offices consisted of desks, chairs, walls, ect. During testing he
made the walls transparent so it was possible to see the other offices, and to
his surprise it made the surroundings less confining and much more interesting.
Now that the walls were removed it wasn’t like the real world anymore, it was
better. Marc developed a theory: the more abstract an idea the better and more
interesting it would be. So he started out creating once again. His goal was to
create worlds were people could forget about reality and lose themselves in
these virtual realities. He looked for ways to make people quickly forget the
real world, and immersed into his virtual worlds. This lead a strange discovery,
for some reason when the people did a figure eight race track, traveling through
boxes they, became quickly interested in the boxes and forgot about the real
world. They wanted to see what was in store next, and continued to get into the
virtual worlds more quickly. As Marc experimented, he created better and better
worlds that were more fun than the real world(VR,150-152).
Now
that you have some of the basics of how the development of virtual reality came
about, it's time to see how the modern-day virtual reality tools are
incorporated into our every day lives.
Some of the current business uses of VR are models of cities (such as San
Fransico) to help plan for new construction. By using virtual reality models
construction teams can create new roads and test how the traffic might flow on
them before actually spending millions on a new freeway when that freeway may
not be what is needed. Instead they may have to build a new subway. VR is also
used to test planes in various weather conditions like a snow storm or tornado,
it can also be used to test the pilots in these conditions. Even architects use
VR programs to create three-dimensional models of their buildings then use them
to do “walk-throughs”, or let the client walk through his new building, giving
the client a chance to change a feature of the building that he wouldn’t have
been able to see under normal architectural tools. The medical field is also a
big user of virtual reality, and it’s use will only continue to grow(Vr,207).
Can you believe it,
we have almost progressed to the point were doctors don’t even need to be in the
operating room to do operations! It is true the Advanced Research Project
Agencies (ARPA) planned to demonstrate a "robotic arm" operation where the
doctor was almost a kilometer away. The doctor was to be hooked up to sensors
and a headset. The robot arm could take the signals form the sensors the doctor
was wearing and translate them into movements and perform the operation. As the
robot arm moved so did the camera attached to it. The image the camera took
would be sent to the headset that the doctor was wearing and then he would see
the operation in real time movement, thus making it like he was right there in
the room. Think of all the time this could save. No more transporting patients
to a hospital far away from their families. This new procedure could also save
crucial time in a life and death situation. If a emergency room patient need a
brain surgery right away, but the closet brain surgeon was 2 hours away, he
could simply be called up to do the operation, saving valuable time, and quite
possibly the patients life(web).
Another medical application being looked into is virtual bodies. Virtual bodies
aren’t new robots or androids from Startrek, instead they are images projected
into a virtual reality setting making a virtual body. New doctors or doctors
learning a new procedure, could easily practice again and again. I know I would
feel a lot better if I knew my brain surgeon had practiced the operation he
would be performing on me 20 times in the last month, as opposed to being the
guinea pig(VR,200)!
This technology can help people who are
disabled or unable to speak. People who have had strokes and can only perform
minute movements can where a glove, which can be programmed to detect minute
movements and interpret them. The glove movement can be assigned to a special
task by use of a computer. These tasks include answering the phone, opening a
door, turning lights on or off, turning on the oven, or even opening the door.
The movements can also be translated into words to be spoken trough a
synthesizer or output onto a screen. This technology is to stoke victims what
sign language is to deaf people(VR,204).
If you think you have to go someplace special
to find this kind of technology or be in need of some medical help, you’re
wrong. To find it just walk into the nearest K-MART. In fact, many of you may
have already used it. A few years ago Nintendo came out with a product called
the power glove. Mainly used to fight in Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, this glove was
made using the same type of technology that the glove which turned the lights on
and off was made of.
There are a few things
just short of medical wonders. Now they can build virtual legs and operate on
them. Not only can the legs be operated on but if you would like to reposition a
tendon you could and you wouldn’t hurt a single person in the process. Wouldn’t
it be nice if they could see how they did on that practice operation? Well now
they can! Not only can you move the tendon but you could then actually make the
leg walk and see the results of the operation, immediately with no healing
time(web)!
Training applications are also possible in
other fields besides the medicine. Disabled people can practice tasks such as
getting on the bus. It sounds simple, but go to Chicago and sit in a wheel chair
with your eyes closed and see how long it takes you to find a bus, not to
mention get on it(web)!
Most of you are probably more familiar with the next part of our presentation.
This is the fun part, the entertainment part.
Do you Remember those books
"Create Your own Adventure". The books that read like "to follow the bad guys
turn to page 45, or to go back to look for more clues turn to page 67". With
virtial reality you could do a "Create Your own Virtual Adventure", but instead
of only reading the story you could actually be a part of it! The only
comparison is to imagine your favorite action movie and put your self as the
main character. Depending on what you do and where you choose to do in the
“movie” would give you different endings. If all this sounds too good to be true
then think again because these kinds of "virtual adventures" have already sprung
up in a few places, mostly as tests.
The Vivid
Group first developed “freestanding wide-screen projected reality”. This machine
removes you from the constraint of wires, headsets, sensors, and lets you move
around with ease. They record your image and impose it, much like they would on
a weather broadcast, into a background such as a hockey game. Then, you (and
your background) are projected up onto a big screen. As you watch the screen,
you see pucks that would actually be flying at you. Your task is to block them
by diving in front of them. As good as all this sounds it was still a lot like
playing a video game. Now companies have came out with more exciting stuff. Now
goggles and suits are used which have sensors to detect movement and stereo
sound to give you sense of direction, and in the headset there are screens which
show you your new world(VR,216).
As
you turn a full 360 degrees you can see all of your surroundings, front, behind,
beside, up, down, sideways. Where you look is were & what you see.
Everything is 3-D. This adds tons of life to the popular gun games like Doom or
Duke Nuken, which many of you may have played on computers. Not only are there
violence based games but they also have games for the outdoor sportsman. Virtual
Mountain Biking is also popular.
The only
difference between the two types of games is in the gun games you are wearing a
suit to detect movement and your gun is fake, but in the mountain biking game
you only wear a headset and you use a real bike which is set with motion
detectors. And yes it is still hard to pedal up hill even on a virtual
mountain(VR,219).
If you look hard enough
you can even find virtual reality
art. Yes it is true, there are virtual art galleries with virtual art in
them. The cool thing about virtual art is you don’t need paper, your objects can
be set floating in space and if you touch a part of the art you may hear music,
you might change the color of the display, or it may go into an animation.
Virtual art could expand into an uncountable number of different directions(VR,142,234,237).
Imagination will
be the only limit to how far the field of Virtual Reality will go. I am willing
to bet that in 50 years all video games will be virtual reality. Most cars,
airplanes, new factories, even space missions will be either tested or made by
use of virtual reality concepts. Who knows, maybe we will even have virtual
schools where we get to practice giving presentations to our class and
professors before we give the real thing. And perhaps we could also get feedback
and even a grade so that we could keep revising it over and over till we get
“virtual A’s” from our virtual professors, Virtual Alec and Virtual Dan(VR,179)!
Outline
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