CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

The de function of virtual reality comes, naturally, from the definitions for
both ‘virtual’ and ‘reality’. The definition of ‘virtual’ is near and reality is what we
experiences 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 n 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 really 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 reality are based upon theories about a long held human
desire to escape the boundaries of the ‘real world’ by embracing cyberspace.
 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.

2.1 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 smart phones 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 interfaces are already a part of daily human computing tasks.

Recently companies like Google have released interim virtual reality products
such as the Google Cardboard, a DIY headset that uses a Smartphone to drive it.
Companies like 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.
 Finally answer then fulfilled promise seamed by virtual laity n the 1990s will
come to market at that time. These include the pioneering Oculus Rift, which was
purchased by social media giant Face book in 2014 for the staggering sum of $2BN.
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
 CHAPTER 3
TYPES OF VIRTUAL REALITY

3.1 Windows on World

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 mouse. Like immersive virtual reality, this provides a first-
person experience. One low-cost example of a 'Through the window’s ritual l reality
system is the 3-D architectural design planning tool Virtues Walk through 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 film making for the movie
The Abyss, Virtues Walk through is now used as a set design and planning tool for
many Hollywood movies and advertisements as well as architectural planning and
educational applications. Similar, less expensive and less sophisticated program that is
starting to find use in elementary and secondary schools is Virtues VR (Law, 1994;
Paneled and).

3.2 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 interface 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; Turbot, 1990; Beauly, 1991; Mark
off, 1991; Minsky,1991; Gehrig, 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).

3.3 Telepresence

The concept of cyberspace is linked to the notion of telepresence, the

feelingofbeinginalocationotherthanwhereyouactuallyare.Related to this means that
you can control a robot or another device at a distance. In the Jason childrenat
different sites across the U.S. have the opportunity to teleoperate the unmanned
submarine Jason, the namesake for this innovative science education project directed
by Robert Ballard, a scientist as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (EDS, 1991;
Ulman, 1993; McLellan,1995).

Fig.3.1Telepresence

3.4 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(Tubes).
 CHAPTER 4
TECHNOLOGIES OF VR

4.1 Head-Mounted Display (HMD)

Head-mounted displays or HMDs are probably the most instantly recognizable objects
associated with virtual reality .They are sometimes are furred to as Virtual Reality
headsets or VR glasses. Awe might avenues seed 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 broad essence. HMD sare 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 n 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.

Fig.4.1Head Mounted Display.

4.2 Data Gloves

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 reality. Gloves are
one of several types of electromechanical devices used in hap tics 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.
Finemotion 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 bya
virtual hand(for example, in gaming) or a robotic hand (for example, in remote-
control surgery).

Fig.4.2. Data gloves

4.3 Cave

A Cave is typically a video theater 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 panel display.

The projection systems are very high-resolute ion due to the near distance viewing
which requires very small pixel sizes to retain the illus ion of reality. The user wears
3D glasses inside the CAVE to see graphics generated by the CAVE. People using the
CAVE can see objects apparently floating in the air, and can walk around them,
getting a proper view of what they would look like 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 3Dvideo.

4.4. Software Packages

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

4.5. VRML

VRML stands for virtual reality modeling 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 virtua l world display, interaction and internet working can be specified using
VRML without being dependent on special gear like HMD.VR models can be viewed
 CHAPTER 5
ARCHITECTURE OF VR SYSTEM

Fig.5.1 Architecture of Virtual reality device.

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

rendering processor and world database.

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
position trackers, a voice recognition system, etc.

Simulation Processor

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.

Rendering Processor

Simulation processor imitates 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 rendering processes are used for visual, auditory, hap tic
and other sensory systems. Each renderer take a description of the world stat from the
simulation process or derive it directly from the world database for each time step.

World Database

This is also known as World Description Files. It stores the object that inhabit the
world, scripts that describes actions of those objects.

This database contains all the objects which we are going to experience virtuelly. For
instance if we want to experience the space virtually then the world database must
have all the objects that are in space like the sun, the moon, stars, planets etc.
 CHAPTER 6
APPLICATIONS OF VIRTUAL REALITY

6.1 Virtual Reality in the Military

Fig.6.1 Virtual reality parachuting simulation

The reality has been adopted by the military includesall 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.

6.1.2 Virtual Reality and Education

Education is another area which has adopted 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

fun and easy to learn. Plus these students can interact with the objects in that
environment in order to discover more about them.
6.1.3 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 Plusit 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 been also been used for
training purposes and, in the field of remote tele surgery in which surgery is
performed by the surgeon at a separate location to the patientce

6.1.4 Virtual Reality in Engineering

Virtual reality engineering includes the use of 3D modeling tools and visualizetion
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 illusion. This means high end graphics, video
with a fast refresh rate and realistic sound and movement.

6.1.5. Virtual Reality in Entertainment

Virtualreality 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.

6.1.6 VR in communication sector

Virtual reality's roots lie in a combination of 3-D still images, computer gaming,
computer-assisted instruction, equipment simulators and entertainment experiences.
Some VR setups display immersive environments through head-mounted displays that
replace or supplement your view.

6.1.7 VR for training purpose

Virtual reality playing an essential part in training industry by providing accurate and
error-free training where no space for error while offering training in any field like
aviation, defence, industrial and many more. learning through VR diminishes the
pointless exercise while recognizing the blunders. A Lot of divisions and
organizations are putting resources into VR towards immensity in their innovative
work forms.

6.1.8 VR in research centres

Research Backs Benefits of VR Training. Virtual reality (VR) technology is

revolutionizing the way companies provide employees with engaging learning
experiences that help them acquire knowledge and skills, achieve performance goals,
and stay safe.

There are many more uses of VR than first realised which range from academic
Research through to engineering, design, business, the arts and entertainment. But
irrespective of the use, virtual reality produces a set of data which is then to develop
new models, training methods, communication and interaction.

Research Backs Benefits of VR Training. Virtual reality is revolutionizing the way

companies provide employees with engaging learning experiences that help them
acquire knowledge and skills, achieve performance goals, and stay safe.

6.1.9 VR in Realistate

VR is used to view the plan of a building. This gives a 3 dimensional image. What
architects and developers do is to upload all the virtual versions of the proposed
buildings on their virtual reality database and their prospective clients can view the
structures from there. It is just like viewing structures that are yet to be built. This is
why there are two main categories of architects now the ones that have adopted virtual
reality and the ones that being run out of business.

6.2 VR in cinemas

A lot of cinemas have adopted VR technology now. They distribute head mounted
display units to all viewers for each movie. When the effect of this unit is combined
with powerful speakers that have been scattered all over the hall or theatre, it gives
serious immersion. You will be engaged and fully immersed in the movie. In fact, you
will feel like you are a part of the movie.

6.3 VR in automobiles

Ford, a popular automobile giant has already embraced virtual reality in the process of
manufacturing vehicles. Prototypes of any proposed vehicle will be uploaded on the
virtual reality platform where several engineers can view and make necessary
recommendations before the actual vehicle is manufactured. This saves a lot of
money, time and effort. The vehicle is only produced.
6.4. VR in Museums

The images of the collection of items in several museums are being uploaded on
virtual reality platforms by app developers. When this is concluded, viewers will have
access to those museums. They will be able to view different museums with their
virtual reality head mounted display units from the comfort of their location. They
will be able to view the items in different museums located in different continents.
 CHAPTER 7
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

7.1 Advantages of VR

1. Improves retention and recall Simplifies complex problems/situations

2. The reality creates a realistic world.
3. It enables user to explore places.
4. Suitable for different learning styles Innovative and enjoyable.
5. Through Virtual Reality user can experiment with an artificial environment.
6. Real scenarios Can be done remotely saving time and money.
7. Virtual Reality make the education more easily and comfort.

7.2 Disadvantage of VR
Simulator Sickness Symptom

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 l 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 Heron
and Butler in a US Navy helicopter trainer. The most common identifiable symptoms
are general discomfort, nausea, drowsiness, headache and in some cases vomiting.

Expensive

Virtual reality technology is expensive. Common people can hardly manage to have
such technologies. It requires additional hard wires which are also very expensive.

A big problem with virtual reality is cost: a fully 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 setup.
Lack of Integration Between application packages

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

I. The equipment's used in virtual reality are very expensive.

II. It consists of complex technology.
III. virtual reality environment we cant move by our own like in the real world.
 CHAPTER 8
FUTURE WORKS

8.1 High Fidelity systems

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

8.2 Cost-Saving

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

8.3 Collaborative

Integrating application packages with the hard wires of the ver. 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 ver. Hard wires.

It as no secret that virtual reality has the potential to influence daily life. Yet this
emphasis on consumer-oriented, social virtual reality applications masks the potential
VR technology has to make a splash in the enterprise space and steer the future of
work more generally.
 CONCLUSION

The term Virtual Reality (VR) issued 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.

"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 'virtualreality'.

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,
Simulate tor Technology, etc. VR is the most common and sexiest. It has caught the
attention of the media.
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Franchi, j. Vertual reality: an overview. Eric digest, june 1995

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/virtual_realityhttp://www.vrs.org.uk/virtualreality/what-
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