Toward Ultimate RealityJason ChristieAbstract: This study explores various uses of virtual reality goggles in conjunction withconsumer level items: color cameras, video effects, luminance keying and videotape, inan effort to ascertain what is feasible at the present time regarding consumer andindustrial applications. As a measure toward eventual home theater display prospects, theviability of keying video into a see-through head-mounted display to form a virtual, wall-sized television will be determined. Another portion of the research will attempt tocommunicate aspects of the psychedelic experience into electronic form.“When we apply the power of networking to the VR world, the potential for stretchingthe limits of human abilities becomes very powerful.” —Jaron Lanier
IntroductionVirtual Reality (VR), its “newer” cousin Augmented Reality (AR), EnhancedReality (ER), Simulated Environments (SE), Myron Krueger’s Artificial Reality
andother terms each attempt to describe unique sets of experiences and phenomenon that promise to radically alter the process of human communication. It is my belief that thesevarious disciplines will continue evolving parallel with related technologies until acritical mass is achieved, resulting in a coalescence of unprecedented magnitude, which Ihave termed Ultimate Reality, in deference to Ivan Sutherland’s pioneering effortsdescribed in The Ultimate Display.
Mr. Sutherland’s first head-mounted display (HMD) was in fact a see-throughdesign.
Through clever use of half-bright mirrors, a video display was mapped over theuser’s field of vision. This was the first implementation of what is now known asAugmented Reality. I contend that this original incarnation will ultimately prove to bemore useful to mankind.
1
Byte, Vol. 22, No. 8, P. 32 “News and Views: Interviews.” (1997).
2
While Mr. Krueger’s phrasing seems best suited to describe his own unique field of study into “other”environments, I fully believe his early research will prove instrumental in the coming technologicalconvergence, particularly in the areas of telepresence and in making computers “aware” of human beings. Not only that, he constantly reminds us that such experiences should be enjoyable, even fun. Thishumanizing factor deserves far more attention than it currently receives.
3
Suthlerland, Ivan. "The Ultimate Display." Information Processing 1965: Proceedings of IFIP Congress65, 2 (New York, May 24-29, 1965): 508.
4
Pimentel, Ken and Teixeira, Kevin. (1995) Virtual Reality: Through The New Looking Glass. P. 44
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