Terminology:
Virtual Reality (VR) is the computerized recreation of an environment as near to the real thing, that the person operating the computer is able to be a part of. It requires the use of special input and output devices for interaction (elements of interaction).
The VR developer Jaron Lanier claims that he coined the term. A related term coined by Myron Krueger, “artificial reality”, has been in use since the 1970s. The concept of virtual reality was popularized in mass media by movies such as Brainstorm and The Lawnmower Man (and others mentioned below), and the VR research boom of the 1990s was motivated in part by the non-fiction book Virtual Reality by Howard Rheingold. The book served to demystify the subject, making it more accessible to less technical researchers and enthusiasts, with an impact similar to what his book The Virtual Community had on virtual community research lines closely related to VR.
Concepts:
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. Once there we can interact with this virtual environment in a more naturalistic manner which will generate new forms of human-machine interaction(HMI).
The aim is to move beyond standard forms of interaction such as the keyboard and mouse which most people work with on a daily basis. This is seen as an unnatural way of working which forces people to adapt to the demands of the technology rather than the other way around.
But a virtual environment does the opposite. It allows someone to fully immerse themselves in a highly visual world which they explore by means of their senses. This natural form of interaction within this world often results in new forms of communication and understanding.
The experience of a virtual world mimics that of a real world scenario but often without many of its constraints. Virtual reality enables allows someone to do the following:
1. Walk around a three-dimensional building
2. Perform a virtual operation
3. Play a multi-user game
4. Take part in a theatre of war
5. Interact with an artwork, e.g. installation
Plus the fact that they can do this in a 3D environment means that they replicate an experience similar to that in the real world but without many of the dangers.
This is preferable to trying to simulate these experiences in a two-dimensional setting, e.g. a computer desktop.
In many ways, this technology has far more possibilities than originally thought. But it is important not to confuse fact with fiction.
Whilst virtual reality may appear a futuristic concept which dwells in the realm of science fiction it is, nevertheless, a very real form of technology. And this real form of technology has the potential to deliver real-world benefits to a great many people.
Virtual Reality Future:
There has been increasing interest in the potential social impact of new technologies, with Virtual Reality ahead of all. For the upcoming FUTURE it has been prognosticated that:
Virtual reality will be integrated into daily life and activity, and will be used in various human ways.
Techniques will be developed to influence human behavior, interpersonal communication, and cognition (i.e., virtual genetics).
As we spend more and more time in virtual space, there will be a gradual “migration to virtual space,” resulting in important changes in economics, worldview, and culture.
The design of virtual environments may be used to extend basic human rights into virtual space, to promote human freedom and well-being, and to promote social stability as we move from one stage in socio-political development to the next.
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