Virtual Reality - What It Is And How It Works

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with a piece of machinery known as the
computer. This is done with several computer-user interfaces used to
simulate the senses. Among these, are stereoscopic glasses to make the
simulated world look real, a 3D auditory display to give depth to sound,
sensor lined gloves to simulate tactile feedback, and head-trackers to
follow the orientation of the head. Since the technology is fairly young,
these interfaces have not been perfected, making for a somewhat cartoonish
simulated reality.

Stereoscopic vision is probably the most important feature of VR because
in real life, people rely mainly on vision to get places and do things.
The eyes are approximately 6.5 centimeters apart, and allow you to have a
full-colour, three-dimensional view of the world. Stereoscopy, in itself,
is not a very new idea, but the new twist is trying to generate completely
new images in real-time. In 1933, Sir Charles Wheatstone invented the
first stereoscope with the same basic principle being ...

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users the proper stereo
images when moving their heads well when a head-motion sensor is used to
adjust the effect.

Sound is another important part of daily life, and thus must be simulated
well in order to create artificial reality. Many scientists including Dr.
Elizabeth Wenzel, a researcher at NASA, are convinced the 3D audio will be
useful for scientific visualization and space applications in the ways the
3D video is somewhat limited. She has come up with an interesting use for
virtual sound that would allow an astronaut to hear the state of their
oxygen, or have an acoustical beacon that directs one to a trouble spot on
a satellite. The "Convolvotron" is one such device that ...

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