CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

The definition of virtual reality comes, naturally, from the definitions for both and
'reality'. The definition of 'virtual' is near and reality is what we experience as human beings.
So, the term 'virtual reality' basically means 'near-reality'. This could, of course, mean anything
but it usually refers to a specific type of reality emulation.

We know the world through our senses and perception systems. In school we all learned
that we have five senses: taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing. These are however only our
most obvious sense organs. The truth is that humans have many more senses than this, such as
a sense of balance for example. These other sensory inputs, plus some special processing of
sensory information by our brains ensures that we have a rich flow of information from the
environment to our minds.

Everything that we know about our reality comes by way of our senses. In other words,
our entire experience of reality is simply a combination of sensory information and our brains
sense-making mechanisms for that information. It stands to reason then, that if you can present
your senses with made-up information, your perception of reality would also change in
response to it. You would be presented with a version of reality that isn't there, but from your
perspective it would be perceived as real. Something we would refer to as a virtual reality.

Answering 'What is virtual reality" in technical terms is straight-forward. Virtual reality is

the term used to describe a three-dimensional, computer-generated environment which can be
explored and interacted with by a person. That person becomes part of this virtual world or is
Immersed within this environment and whilst there, is able to manipulate objects or perform a
series of actions.

The concepts behind virtual reality are based upon theories about a long held human
desire to escape the boundaries of the 'real world' by embracing cyberspace.

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 CHAPTER 2
HISTORY OF VIRTUAL REALITY

In 1950, flight simulators were built by US Air Force to train student pilots. In 1965, a
research program for computer graphics called "The Ultimate Display" was laid out. Until that
time VR was just a concept and was not very popular.in 1988, commercial development of VR
began. In 1991, first commercial entertainment VR system was released.

Virtual reality in the 21st century:

The first fifteen years of the 21st century has seen major, rapid advancement in the
development of virtual reality. Computer technology, especially small and powerful mobile
technologies, have exploded while prices are constantly driven down. The rise of smartphones
with high-density displays and 3D graphics capabilities has enabled a generation of lightweight
and practical virtual reality devices. The video game industry has continued to drive the
development of consumer virtual reality unabated. Depth sensing cameras sensor suites, motion
controllers and natural human Intermec’s are already a part of dally human computing tasks.

Recently companies Ilke Google have released interim virtual reality products such as
the Google Cardboard, a DIY headset that uses a smartphone to drive it. Companies Ilke
Samsung have taken this concept further with products such as the Galaxy Gear, which is mass
produced and contains "smart" features such as gesture control.

Developer versions of final consumer products have also been available for a few years,
so there has been a steady stream of software projects creating content for the immanent market
entrance of modern virtual reality.

It seems clear that 2016 will be a key year in the virtual reality industry. Multiple
consumer devices that seem to finally answer the unfulfilled promises made by virtual reality
in the 1990s will come to market at that time. These include the pioneering Oculus Rift, which
was purchased by social media giant Facebook in 2014 for the staggering sum of $2BN. An
incredible vote of confidence in where the industry is set to go. When the Oculus Rift releases
in 2016 it will be competing with products from Valve Corporation and HTC, Microsoft as well
as Sony Computer Entertainment. These heavyweights are sure to be followed by many other
enterprises, should the market take off as expected.

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 CHAPTER 3
TYPES OF VIRTUAL RTEALITY

1. Windom on World (WOW):

With this kind of system also known as "desktop VR" the user sees the 3-D world through
the 'window' of the computer screen and navigates through the space with a control device such
as a mouse. Like immersive virtual reality, this provides a first-person experience. One low-
cost example of a 'Through the window' virtual reality system is the 3-D architectural design
planning tool Virtus Walkthrough that makes it possible to explore virtual reality on a
Macintosh or IBM computer.

Developed as a computer visualization tool to help plan complex high-tech filmmaking

for the movie The Abyss, Virtus Walkthrough is now used as a set design and planning tool for
many Hollywood movies and advertisements as well as architectural planning and educational
applications. A similar, less expensive and less sophisticated program that is starting to find use
in elementary and secondary schools is Virtus VR (Law, 1994; Pantelidis, nd).

2. Immersive VR:

Usually when we think of virtual reality, we think of immersive systems involving

computer interface devices such as a head-mounted display (HMD), fiber-optic wired gloves,
position tracking devices, and audio systems providing 3-D (binaural) sound. Immersive virtual
reality provides an immediate, first-person experience.

With some applications, there is a treadmill Intermec to simulate the experience of

walking through virtual space. And in place of the head-mounted display, there is the BOOM
viewer from Fake Space Labs which hangs suspended in front of the viewer's face, not on it,
so it is not as heavy and tiring to wear as the head-mounted display.

In immersive VR, the user is placed inside the image; the generated image is assigned
properties which make it look and act real in terms of visual perception and in some cases aural
and tactile perception (Brooks,1988; Turbit, 1990; Begault, 1991; Markoff, 1991; Minsky,
1991; Gelug, 1992). There is even research on creating virtual smells; an application to patent
such a product has been submitted by researchers at the Southwest Research Institute (Varner,
1993).

3. Telepresence:

The concept of cyberspace is linked to the notion of telepresence, the feeling of being in
a location other than where you actually are. Related to this, teleoperation means that you can
control a robot or another device at a distance. In the Jason Project, children at different sites
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across the U.S. have the opportunity to teleoperate the unmanned submarine Jason, the
namesake for this motive science education project directed by Robert Ballard, a scientist as
the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (EDS,1991; Ulman, 1993; McLellan, 1995).

4. Augmented VR:

A variation of immersive virtual reality is Augmented Reality where a see-through layer

of computer graphics is superimposed over the real world to highlight certain features and
enhance understanding. One application of augmented reality is in aviation, where certain
controls can be highlighted, for example the controls needed to land an airplane. And many
medical applications are under development (Taubes, 1994b). Recently, for the first time, a
surgeon conducted surgery to remove a brain tumour using an augmented reality system; a
video image superimposed with 3-D graphics helped the doctor to see the site of the
operation more effectively (Satava, 1993).

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 CHAPTER 4
WORKING

The relationship between our actions and their perceivable results is ruled by what we call
the laws of nature. It is general understanding that our actions act upon real objects, which react
according to the laws of nature, what then can be perceived. Virtual Reality Facilities (VRFs)
simulate the action perception relationship in a physically correct manner but without involving
real objects or real events. Just the same do mathematical models of nature (physical theories).
So it stands to reason that VRFs can be considered as analogue models of nature.

Virtual Reality works on the principle of Perception:

• Depth Perception

• Accuracy and Field View

• Sound Perception

• Olfactory Perception

• Position & force perception

• Touch Perception

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 CHAPTER 5
TECHNOLOGIES OF VR

1. Head-Mounted Display (HMD):

Head-mounted displays or HMDs are probably the most instantly recognizable objects
associated with virtual reality. They are sometimes referred to as Virtual Reality headsets or
VR glasses. As we might have guessed from the name, these are display devices that are
attached to our head and present visuals directly to our eyes. At a minimum if a device conforms
to those two criteria, we may consider it an HMD in the broadest sense.

HMDs are not the sole purview of virtual reality, they have been used in military, medical
and engineering contexts to name but a few. Some HMDs allow the user to see through them
allowing digital information to be projected onto the real world. Something which is commonly
referred to as augmented reality.

When we look at the diversity of HMDs that exist today within the context of virtual
reality, it becomes apparent that there's much more to these devices than strapping two screens
to our eyes. In order to allow for an Immersive experience either as a personal media device or
as a full-on virtual reality interface, there are a number of technologies that can be incorporated
in an HMD.

2. Data Glove:

A data glove is an interactive device, resembling a glove worn on the hand, which
facilitates tactile sensing and fine-motion control in robotics and virtual reality. Data gloves are
one of several types of electromechanical devices used in haptics applications.

Tactile sensing involves simulation of the sense of human touch and includes the ability
to perceive pressure, linear force, torque, temperature, and surface texture. Fine-motion control
involves the use of sensors to detect the movements of the user's hand and fingers, and the
translation of these motions into signals that can be used by a virtual hand (for example, in
gaming) or a robotic hand (for example, in remote-control surgery).

3. CAVE:

A CAVE is typically a video theatre sited within a larger room. The walls of a CAVE are
typically made up of rear-projection screens, however flat panel displays are becoming more
common. The floor can be a downward-projection screen, a bottom. projected screen or a flat

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panel display. The projection systems are very high-resolution. due to the near distance viewing
which requires very small pixel sizes to retain the illuis ion of reality.

The user wears 3D glasses inside the CAVE to see 3D graphics generated by the CAVE.
People using the CAVE can see objects apparently floating in the air and can walk around then
getting a proper view of what they would look Ilke in reality. This was initially made possible
by electromagnetic sensors but has converted to infrared cameras.

The frame of early CAVEs had to be built from non-magnetic materials such as wood to
minimize interference with the electromagnetic sensors, obviously the change to infrared
tracking has removed that limitation. A CAVE user's movements are tracked by the sensors
typically attached to the 3D glasses and the video continually adjusts to retain the viewer's
perspective. Computers control both this aspect of the CAVE and the audio aspect. There are
typically multiple speakers placed at multiple angles in the CAVE, providing 3D sound to
complement the 3D video.

4. Software Packages:

There are many software packages available in the market. Most of them are paid
software Ilke virtual reality studio (100$ approx.), Autodesk Cyberspace Development kit
(over 1000$) but there are also some free software Ilke multiverse.

5. VRML:

VRML stands for virtual reality modelling language. It is a standard language for
interactive simulation within the World Wide Web. This allows to create virtual worlds.
network via the internet and hyperlinked with the World Wide Web. Aspects of virtual world
display, interaction and internetworking can be specified using VRML without being dependent
on special gear Ilke HMD.VR models can be viewed by Netscape or IE with a browser plug-
in.

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 CHAPTER 6
ARCHITECTURE OF VR SYSTEM

Architecture of virtual system consists of input processor, simulation processor,

rendering processor and world database.

1. Input Processor:

It controls the devices used to input information to the computer. The main objective of
input processor is to get the coordinate data to the rest of the system with minimal lag time.
The main components of input processor include keyboard, mouse, 3D positions trackers, a
voice recognition system, etc.

2. Simulation Process:

The process of imitating real things virtually is called simulation. This is the core of the
virtual reality system It takes the user inputs along with any tasks programmed into the world
and determine the actions that will take place in the virtual world.

3. Rendering Processor:

Simulation processor initiates the real things but sensation are not produced to produce
this sensation we use rendering processor. It creates the sensation that are output to the user.
Separate processes are used for visual, auditory, haptic and other sensory systems. Each
renderer takes a description of the world stat from the simulation process or derive it directly
from the world database for each time step.

4. World Database:

This is also known as World Description Files. It stores the object that inhabits the world,
scripts that describes actions of those objects. This database contains all the objects which we
are going to experience virtually. For instance, if we want to experience the space virtually then
the world database must have all the objects that are in space Ilke the sun, the moon, stars,
planets, etc.

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 CHAPTER 7
APPLICATIONS OF VIRTUAL REALITY

1. Virtual Reality in the Military:

Virtual reality has been adopted by the — this includes all three services (army, navy and
air force) — where it is used for training purposes. This is particularly useful for training
soldiers for combat situations or other dangerous settings where they have to learn how to react
in an appropriate manner.

A virtual reality simulation enables them to do so but without the risk of death or a serious
injury. They can re-enact a particular scenario, for example engagement with an enemy in an
environment in which they experience this but without the real-world risks. This has proven to
be safer and less costly than traditional training methods.

2. Virtual Reality and Education:

Education is another area which has adopted virtual reality for teaching and learning
situations. The advantage of this is that it enables large groups of students to interact with
each other as well as within a three-dimensional environment.

It is able to present complex data in an accessible way to students which is both man and
easy to learn. Plus, these students can interact with the objects in that environment in order to
discover more about them.

3. Virtual Reality in Healthcare:

Healthcare is one of the biggest adopters of virtual reality which encompasses surgery
simulation, phobia treatment, robotic surgery, and skills training. One of the advantages of this
technology is that it allows healthcare professionals to learn new skills as well as refreshing
existing ones in a safe environment. Plus, it allows this without causing any danger to the
patients.

A popular use of this technology is in robotic surgery. This is where surgery is performed
by means of a robotic device — controlled by a human surgeon, which reduces time and
risk of complications. Virtual reality has also been used for training purposes and, in the field
of remote telesurgery in which surgery is performed by the surgeon at a separate location to the
patient.

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 4. Virtual Reality in Engineering:

Virtual reality engineering includes the use of 3D modelling tools and visualization
techniques as part of the design process. This technology enables engineers to view their project
in 3D and gain a greater understanding of how it works. Plus, they can spot any flaws or
potential risks before implementation.

This also allows the design team to observe their project within a safe environment and
make changes as and where necessary. This saves both time and money. What is important is
the ability of virtual reality to depict fine grained details of an engineering product to maintain
the Unison. This means high end graphics, video with a most refresh rate and realistic sound
and movement.

5. Virtual Reality in Entertainment:

Virtual reality games are becoming very popular with many teenagers who love the
graphics, animations and best of all, being able to talk to others. After all, what could be better
than the chance to interact with top end technology and without any adults to get in the way?
These games are available for Xbox 360, PS2 and 3 as well as the Mac and PC so whatever
console you use there is a VR game for that. This is pretty cool when you think about it.

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 CHAPTER 8
CURRENT PROBLEM & FUTURE WORK

8.1. Problems:

1. Simulator Sickness Symptoms:

Simulator sickness is by no means a new phenomenon. It is similar to motion sickness,

which has existed for as long as humans have used additional modes of transportation but can
occur without any actual motion of the subject. The first documented case of simulator sickness
occurred in 1957 and was reported by Havron and Butler in a US Navy helicopter trainer. The
most common identifiable symptoms are general discomfort, nausea, drowsiness, headache and
in some cases vomiting.

2. Expensive:

Virtual reality technology is expensive. Common people can hardly manage to have such
technologies. It requires additional hardware’s which are also very expensive. A big problem
with virtual reality is cost: a frilly immersive set up such as a CAVE where someone is able to
interact with objects in an enclosed space is expensive. In fact, it's that expensive that only
university research departments and companies with a research and development (R & D)
section are able to afford this type of set up.

3. Lack of Integration Between application packages:

Integrating the virtual reality hardware’s with the application package is a major issue. It
requires very precise and expertise hands to integrate the application package with the
hardware’s.

8.2. Future works:

1. High Fidelity systems:

Research are being done to enhance the fidelity of virtual reality systems. To take a better
experience and making VR systems more and more reliable scientists are trying hard and are
developing new tools.

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 2. Cost-Saving:

Virtual reality technology is not within the reach of common people because of its high
cost and additional hardware’s requirement. Developments are going on to make low-cost VR
technology. Scientists are to develop such tools that require less hardware’s and can generate
output with great reliability and accuracy.

3. Collaborative:

Integrating application packages with the hardware’s of the VR system was quite difficult
in the early stage of VR technology but now with the efforts and development of new
applications integration problem has been minimized to a great extent and the developers are
trying hard to develop the applications which can be easily collaborated with the VR
hardware’s.

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 CHAPTER 9
SUMMARY

Everything we experience in life can be reduced to electrical activity stimulating our

brains as our sensory organs deliver information about the external world. This interpretation
is what we consider to be reality. " In this sense, the brain is reality. Everything you see, hear,
feel, taste and smell is an interpretation of what's outside, and created entirely inside your head.
We tend to believe that this interpretation matches very closely to the external world.

Nothing could be further from the truth. It is the brain that "sees", and in some important
ways what it sees does not reflect the information it derives from sensory input. For this reason,
we are all living in our own reality simulations - abstractions - that we construct as a result of
both what we perceive with our senses and how our brains mod W this perception. Such things
as colour, smell and taste, for example are not properties of the outside world itself, but rather
a category created by the process of perception. In order to experience the world in a
meaningful way, the brain must act as a filter/interference between us and the 'real" world.

Words have always been a crude method of relaying intent. VR holds out the promise of
allowing us to literally show one another what we mean rather than merely describing it with
crude verbal approximations. The limitation of words is that the meaning they convey is only
as detailed as the definitions the reader or listener attaches to them for this reason VR offers
the possibility of evolving our communication into a kind of telepathy, ultimately bridging the
gap between our discrete imaginations. 'This is what virtual reality holds out to us -the
possibility of walking into the constructs of the imagination." – Terence McKenna.

VR is the ultimate medium of syntactical intent; the only way to figuratively "show"
someone exactly what you mean is to literally show them Words are exceptionally ineffective
at conveying meaning, as they are a low-bandwidth, lossy medium of knowledge transference.
VR will let us remove the ambiguity that is the discrepancy between our internal dictionaries
and bypass communication through symbolism altogether.

The result will be perfect understanding, as all parties behold the same information. The
term Virtual Reality (VR) is used by many different people with many meanings. There are
some people to whom VR is a specific collection of technologies that is a Head Mounted
Display, Glove Input Device and Audio. Some other people stretch the term to include
conventional books, movies or pure fantasy and imagination. The NSF taxonomy mentioned
in the introduction can cover these as well. However, my personal preference, and for purposes
of this paper, we restrict VR to computer mediated systems.

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 “Virtual Reality is a way for humans to visualize, manipulate and interact with computers
and extremely complex data.”

The visualization part refers to the computer generating visual, auditory or other sensual
outputs to the user of a world within the computer. This world may be a CAD model, a scientific
simulation, or a view into a database. The user can interact with the world and directly
manipulate objects within the world. Some worlds are animated by other processes, perhaps
physical simulations, or simple animation scripts. Interaction with the virtual world, at least
with near real time control of the viewpoint, in my opinion, is a critical test for a 'virtual reality’.

Some people object to the term ‘'Virtual Reality", saying it is an oxymoron. Other terms
that have been used are Synthetic Environments, Cyberspace, Artificial Reality, Simulator
Technology, etc. VR is the most common and sexiest. It has caught the attention of the media.

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 C0NCLUSION

As technology improves and becomes more and more advanced the uses to technology
will grow. The concept of virtual reality technology is continuing to grow today and will
continue to grow for the years to come. From the concept of being in a whole new world, to
simply having a family games night, with the Xbox360's Kinect, virtual reality is a very
complex tool that has helped with numerous scientific discoveries and will continue to explore
the concept of a virtual world, where you are the controller.

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 REFERENCES

1] HTTP •J/VR.ISDALE.COM/WHATISVR/FRAMES/WHATISVIU.I.HTML

2] HTTP•J/VRESOURCES.JUMP-
GATE.COM/APPLICATIONS/APPLICATIONS.SHTML

3] FRANCHI, J. VERTUAL REALITY: AN OVERVIEW. ERIC DIGEST, JUNE 1995

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