Although Virtual reality (VR) was seen as science fiction in the past, it’s currently integrated within society today. From video games and entertainment to effective methods of learning in education and in job training, VR has really set its foundation as an up and coming technology. But what exactly is virtual reality ?
What is Virtual Reality ?
Virtual reality is a computer-generated environment that gives the user an immersed experience through realistic visuals, sounds, and other sensations that stimulate the user in a virtual environment. This is usually done with the use of a virtual reality headset. When experiencing VR, the user is able to view, move around, and interact with objects of an artificial world environment.
How it Works
VR headsets create the effects that stimulate the user experience. This consists of a head-mounted display that may have a binocular display optic in front of the eyes that renders split-screen stereo using half screen for each eye.
When creating a truly immersive environment, some technical requirements must be met in order to deceive the brain for this effect. These requirements consist primarily of the frame rate, refresh rate, and field of view (FOV). The frame rate, as well as the refresh rate, must be processed at a minimum of 60 frames per second. This means the rate at which the processors can process images and the frequency at which the display screen refreshes the image should meet this minimum requirement. The FOV, which refers to the extent of the observable world that can be seen at a given moment, should be at least 100 degrees.
Given all the requirements are met the brain could be deceived into thinking the immersive environment is real. Otherwise, the latency between a users action and the visual response would fail to cause this effect. The visual response time would need to have a delay less than 20 milliseconds to achieve this goal. Another concern that is considered in the design of VR is screen tearing caused by an inconsistency between the frame rate and refresh rate. This is solved through the use of Vertical Sync (VSync) in which it synchronizes the frame rate to the refresh rate.
Products
Some revolutionary VR headsets that you can try today include HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and PlayStation VR now on Amazon.
HTC Vive Cosmos Elite Virtual Reality System
Oculus Rift S PC-Powered VR Gaming Headset
What is Augmented Reality ?
Augmented reality (AR), or mixed reality (MR) is the combination of a real-world view and a computer generated image (CGI). Oftentimes in AR, CGI is superimposed on real-word objects or views and is achieved primarily in two ways. One way could be viewing the real world directly while projecting a CGI through a partially reflective mirror, as seen in Google Glass. This is also achieved electronically with the use of a camera that allows CGI to be placed over. One Example of this is the mobile game Pokémon Go.
Applications of VR/ AR
Virtual reality and augmented reality technology has already had an impact on multiple fields today. From education to entertainment, many fields have taken advantage of this innovative tech to accomplish incredible achievements. Here is a list of some of its current applications used today.
Medicine
EchoPixel, a company that develops innovative technology designed to transform the delivery of patient care, has created a software platform called True 3D. This software provides medical professionals with the ability to intuitively see, analyze, and understand patient-specific anatomy through the use of virtual reality images. True 3D allows medical professionals to interact with virtual patient tissue, create cross-sections in any plane, and ultimately provide better visualization.
True 3D was used to plan heart surgeries at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. This helped the surgeons understand their procedure before making an incision.
The Lahey Hospital and Medical Center have used the True 3D software platform’s precise measurement and mapping capabilities to effectively size a device used to treat patients with brain aneurysms.
Entertainment
Although VR is a relatively new field, you can try a variety of games via VR headsets previously mentioned. The HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and PlayStation VR are amongst the most popular and can be purchased today on amazon.
- Here’s a list some VR games worth mentioning,
- No Man’s Sky
- Minecraft VR
- Lone Echo
- Farpoint
- Everybody’s Golf
- Budget Cuts
- Beat Saber
- Project Cars 2
- The Climb
Industry/ Workplace
VR/ AR was introduced in the workplace to train employ. Walmart is training over 1 million employees using VR along with many companies in airlines, food processing, financial firms, and more using VR in various ways.
Some retailers, like Verizon, have used VR to train cashiers to deal with emergency situations such as armed robbery.
Architecture
Industries in architecture, engineering, and construction use virtual reality to work with clients by showing them visualization of a project before it is constructed. VIATechnik, a fast-growing technology company, offers a range of virtual design and construction and software development services to owners, architects, engineers, and contractors.
Education
Currently, virtual reality is used in the classroom to better help students learn and retain information on specific subjects. For example, students taking construction management scored higher on tests than students using traditional methods. In a similar case, medical students who used VR methods of learning also out performed other students when it came to dealing with live patients.
Culture/Art
Some museums and art galleries are taking virtual reality as an approach to give people immersive virtual visits. A good example of this was the British Museum’s VR experience in 2017, where people were able to use computers, mobile devices, and headsets to view the museum.
Future Insight of VR/ AR technology
The future technologies of virtual reality and augmented reality is expected to be one of the highest projected for potential growth. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Quarterly Augmented and Virtual Reality Headset Tracker, the market for VR headsets is expected to decline 6.7% in 2020 before returning to an increased growth of 46.2% in 2021. IDC research(2020) also suggests that as consumer and enterprise audiences continue to invest in the technology, shipments of VR headsets will grow rapidly with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 48% from 2020 to 2024.
Virtual reality continues to improve technologically in areas it has been lacking. One defect seen in VR is clipping, which gives the effect or ability of passing through certain virtual objects via moving in real space. Another area it can improve on is minimizing motion sickness. Motion sickness consists of feeling dizzy and usually occurs in the inconsistency of body movement and visuals from the virtual view. Technological improvements can also be seen with leading tech companies making progress on wireless headsets, high definition displays, and even talks of integrating artificial intelligence and 5G connectivity.
Sources
VR in medicine, future of VR, how it works, VR general, VR in the workplace, VR in culture/art, IDC research.
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