A Whole New World: A Review on Virtual Reality

Have you ever wanted to escape reality? Virtual Reality (VR) offers just that, capturing the imaginations of people worldwide with its immersive experiences. This revolutionary technology transforms users' dreams into reality, allowing them to explore fantastical worlds, engage in life-like adventures, and experience situations beyond the confines of the physical world.

The concept of Virtual Reality was first introduced by Stanley G. Weinbaum in his 1935 short story “Pygmalion’s Spectacles.” This science fiction tale tells of a college professor who invents a pair of goggles that offer an immersive experience. It also possesses visual, auditory, and olfactory sensations to further increase engagement. When the protagonist utilizes these goggles, he falls in love with a girl within the virtual reality, highlighting the realism and emotional depth of the experience. Later on, Weinbaum’s story and idea would inspire future developers to strive toward creating such a device.

Fast forward to 1962, the first virtual reality device was produced by cinematographer Morton Heilig. Named the Sensorama, the device was a non-computerized VR machine that aimed to create a complete virtual environment for users. By combining stereoscopic 3D film with audio, moving air, vibrations, and aromas, users were able to experience somewhat immersive settings. Although primitive compared to the current standards, the Sensorama built a strong foundation for the future of VR technology.

In 1965, American computer scientist Ivan Sutherland introduced the concept of “absolute display.” According to Sutherland: 

“The ultimate display would, of course, be a room within which the computer can control the existence of matter. A chair displayed in such a room would be good enough to sit in. Handcuffs displayed in such a room would be confining, and a bullet displayed in such a room would be fatal. With appropriate programming such a display could literally be the Wonderland into which Alice walked.”

- Ivan Sutherland (1965) 

In this excerpt, Sutherland envisions the ability of computers to make virtual objects as tangible as real ones, creating a realistic virtual world. Bringing his vision to life, Sutherland and his student Bob Sproull created the first Virtual Reality headset a few years later in 1968. 

Virtual Reality has seen tremendous advancements in recent years, finding valuable applications across various disciplines. Beyond its captivating use in entertainment through gaming and virtual travel, VR has brought significant benefits to education and healthcare. 

What exactly is Virtual Reality? VR is a technology that allows users to immerse themselves in an artificial, computer-generated environment that provides an interactive experience to escape reality. It simulates this realistic and 3-Dimensional environment with complex hardware and software. 

But what makes VR appear so realistic? Virtual Reality technology strongly orients its graphics to the real world. It replaces the natural surroundings with a real-looking simulation, using Artificial Intelligence algorithms to further adapt the virtual world to the real world. These algorithms calculate the dimensions of the elements in the surrounding area and then project virtual elements to perfectly replace them. For example, if there is a table in real life, it may be replaced with a ledge at the edge of a building in a virtual city. VR hardware includes headsets, displays, motion controllers, and sensors to track the user’s movements in real-time, making the experience in sync with the user. The VR software further increases the life-like digital environment by incorporating many sensory inputs such as visuals and audio. 

To display these graphics, VR headsets use stereoscopy. Stereoscopy is a technique used to enhance the illusion of depth in a 2-Dimensional image, making it look 3-Dimensional. It involves combining two 2-Dimensional images into one. Each eye sees one of the images, causing the combined image to have depth. In VR headsets, images are sent through a computer or cloud service to the headset where the lens splits the image into two. It is then calibrated into a stereoscopic image, where the user perceives the image as 3-Dimensional. When the user looks around, the motion tracking sensors detect the movement and adjust the images subtly to match the motion of the user with the environment. For an even more realistic feel, VR sets typically provide a field of vision that resembles the field of vision of a human being: 180 degrees. The graphics must also always display a minimum of 90 frames per second to ensure that the user is fully immersed into the virtual world.

Fun Fact: Stereoscopy is the technique used to make 3-Dimensional films and movies!

Virtual Reality presents a variety of applications across many different industries. In the entertainment industry, VR is used for gaming and meeting idols and celebrities. In the gaming world, VR allows players to experience a game’s mechanics firsthand, making it a fun and engaging experience. Instead of sitting around all day playing video games, players can be more motivated to exercise and move around through Virtual Reality, improving their health. VR also grants people the ability to meet with their favorite idols online, increasing the engagement of idols with their fans and allowing a more convenient option for people who cannot travel to see their favorite people. In the education industry, students are able to better understand specific concepts by visualizing them through VR. Since most people are visual learners, this is a very beneficial option for schools around the world. In the healthcare industry, Therapeutic VR applications help support patients during times such as post-surgery recovery, palliative care, and chronic pain management. By creating natural virtual environments such as Zen gardens or sunny beaches, these VR applications reduce pain and anxiety in patients.

Ultimately, Virtual Reality has the potential to transform how we interact with the world around us. Not only does it create extraordinary experiences that orient with the surrounding world, but it also provides a new way of experiencing the world, allowing people to learn and explore in a safe and controlled environment. I hope you learned something new! Keep a lookout for the next post!

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References

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Pebble. (n.d.). When was virtual reality invented?. Pebble. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://pebblestudios.co.uk/2017/08/when-was-virtual-reality-invented/

Smith, N. (2020 Apr. 14). Stanley Weinbaum – Pygmalion’s Spectacles. WordPress. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://strangewesterngalaxy.wordpress.com/2020/04/14/stanley-weinbaum-pygmalions-spectacles/

TeamViewer. (n.d.). What is virtual reality (VR) and how does it work?. TeamViewer. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://www.teamviewer.com/en-us/solutions/use-cases/virtual-reality-vr/

XR Today. (2022 Mar. 10). How Do Virtual Reality Headsets Work?. XR Today. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://www.xrtoday.com/vr/how-do-virtual-reality-headsets-work/