The document discusses the history and technology of virtual reality (VR). It describes how VR has evolved from early concepts using lenses and projectors to modern immersive systems using head-mounted displays, data gloves, and responsive virtual environments. The document outlines the main components of a VR system, including input processors, simulation processors, rendering processors, and world databases. It also discusses current and potential applications of VR in fields like entertainment, medicine, manufacturing, education and military training.

1. NEW TECHNOLOGY TRENDSNEW TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
Produced by: Msc., Eng. Javier DazaProduced by: Msc., Eng. Javier Daza
Source: web2.uwindsor.ca/courses/cs/aggarwal/cs60520/SeminarMaterial/VirtualReality.ppt / http://games.yahoo.com/braingames/brain-teasers-games/phantom-square-255 /CS6360 – Virtual Reality David Johnson
VIRTUAL REALITY - VRVIRTUAL REALITY - VR

2. Outline
 Introduction
 The history of VR
 Types of VR
 Technologies of VR
 Architecture of VR system
 Applications of VR
 Current problems & Future work
 Summary
 Reference

3. It is not augmented reality….
Introduction

4. What is Virtual Reality – VR?
“A high-end user-computer
interface that involves real-
time simulation and
interaction through multiple
sensorial channels.” (vision,
sound, touch, smell, taste)”
Introduction

5. Virtual Reality Triangle
Introduction

6. Sensorama Simulator, US Patent #3,050,870, 1962
Introduction

7.  is a simulated
environment.
 involves
computer-
generated
graphics.
 is 3-dimensional.
 is extremely
interactive.
 involves the
use of human
senses.
 exists in many
different
forms.
Characteristics VR
Introduction

8. Why VR?
VR is able to immerse you in a
computer-generated world of your own
making: a room, a city, the interior of
human body. With VR, you can explore
any uncharted territory of the human
imagination.
Introduction

9. Outline
 Introduction
 The history of VR
 Types of VR
 Technologies of VR
 Architecture of VR system
 Applications of VR
 Current problems & Future work
 Summary
 Reference

10. Early History
 Remarkably, VR concepts predate computer
graphics and modern VR (HMD, tracking,
etc.) arose simultaneously with computer
imagery.
The history of VR

11. The history of VR
Early History Cont’d…
• Prehistory
– Cave paintings
– Some researchers believe that the
images animate when shown with
flickering torch light!
• 3000BC - Egyptians
– First lenses
• 3000BC – Asian shadow play
• ~450BC – Mo Tzu
– Pinhole projection onto screen
• ~300BC – Euclid
– Writes The Optics
• 200AC in China or
1515 – Da Vinci
– Magic lantern projector?
From http://www.precinemahistory.net

12. The history of VR
• 1671 – Kircher
– Magic lantern
– A later example
• 1674 – de Chales
– Successive glass slides
• 1830s -Stroboscope
• 1838 – Wheatstone
– Stereo viewer
From http://www.precinemahistory.net
Early History Cont’d…

13. The history of VR
• 1860s – zoetrope
• 1879 –
– Zoopraxiscope
• Painted images on disc
• Movies
– 1888 – first movie
– 1895: Skladanowsky – Bioscop
– 1895: Lumiere –Cinematographe
– 1896: Edison – Vitascope
– 1902 – special effects
• A Trip to the Moon
– start 8:38
From http://www.precinemahistory.net
Early History Cont’d…

14. The history of VR
• 1916 – Pratt
– Head-mounted periscope
display and gun
– Augmented reality
precursor
Early History Cont’d…

15. The history of VR
• 1929 – Link
– Mechanical flight
simulator
Early History Cont’d…

16. The history of VR
• 1956 – Heilig
– Sensorama
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSINEBZNCks
– Multimodal display of a
motorcycle ride through
Brooklyn
• Sight
• Sound
• Smell
• Vibration
– 1957 HMD patent
Early History Cont’d…

17. The history of VR
• 1961 – Philco
– Telepresence with a
HMD
• Remote camera
– Magnetic head tracker
– Single CRT
Early History Cont’d…

18. The history of VR
Birth of Modern VR
• 1963 – Sutherland
– Interactive graphics
– Sketchpad
• 1965
– Ultimate display paper
• 1968
– A Head-mounted Three-
Dimensional Display
• 1970 – Krueger
– Videoplace - movie
• 1974 – Jim Clark
– Ph.D. on HMD’s

19. The history of VR
The Next Wave
• 1980’s – Scott
Fisher (NASA-
Ames)
– VIEW project –
– movies – start 2:05
• 1980’s – Jaron
Lanier
– “Virtual Reality”
• Tom Furness
– Super cockpit

20. The first complete system was
developed by NASA “Virtual
Visual Environmental Display”
(VIVED early 80s; they
prototyped the LCD HMD;
Became “Virtual Interface
Environment Workstation”
(VIEW) 1989
NASA … a pioneer in VR
The history of VR

21. NASA VIEW system (1992)
The history of VR

22.  Large simulation and training needs
 Could not send humans to other planets
 Relatively small budgets
Why NASA?
The history of VR

23. The first commercial VR systems appeared
in the late 80s produced by VPL Co.
(California):
The VPL “Data Glove” and
The VPL “Eye Phone” HMD
Towards Commercialization…
The history of VR

24. The history of VR
More displays
• 90s - Fakespace boom
– High resolution
– ergonomic

25. Force-feedback Interfaces
Haptic Display Grope III
© Fred Brooks, University of North Carolina
The Force-Feedback Project, which began in
1967, first focused on the development of a
system to support scientific visualization in
the area of molecular docking, the Docker
application. This application provides graphic
(wire-frame) representations of molecules and
their inter-atomic forces to allow a user to
adjust the relative position and orientation of
molecules while searching for minimum
energy binding sites.
A series of systems have been developed,
evolving from a 2-D system, through a 3-D
system and a 6-D system for a simple docking
task, to a full 6-D molecular docking system
called GROPE-III. These later systems have
employed a modified Model E-3 Argonne
Remote Manipulator (ARM).
The history of VR

26. The history of VR
Gloves
• 1977 – Sayre
– Light tube attenuation to
measure bend
• 1981 – Grimes (Bell)
– Bend, tactile sensors
• 1984 – VPL
– VPL DataGlove
• 1993 Utah/MIT
– Dextrous Hand Master
(Hollerbach)
Dextrous Hand Master, Exos

27. The VPL DataGlove (1987) cost $8,500
Gloves
The history of VR

28. The Matel PowerGlove (1989)
Gloves
The history of VR

29. The first commercial VR glove
for entertainment –
Mattel Power Glove $50 (1989)
Gloves
The history of VR

30. The history of VR
CAVE displays
• 1992 – EVL
– Users in a projected
room
– CAVE movie

31. CAVE displays
CyberSphere (1998)
The scientists Eyre and Eureka in
VR-Systems UK have been
researching a CyberSphere, a
device, which consists of a large,
translucent sphere containing the
user.
The images are distortion-
corrected and then projected on the
surface of the sphere, allowing the
user a full 360 degree field of
view.
It also allows the user to move
around in the world, by walking
inside the ball, which will move in
response to the users movements.
Movie © VR-Systems, United Kingdom
The history of VR

32. Companies
 1984 – VPL
 1987 – Polhemus
 1989 – Division
 Bought tech from UNC-CH
 1989 – Mattel
 Nintendo powerglove
 1990 – W
 VR arcade
The history of VR

33. The history of VR
Current Companies
• Sensics
• Intersense
• Raytheon
• Nintendo
• Track-IR

34. Summary
 Entertainment has often driven “immersive”
advances
 The dream of a VR space has a long history
 High-quality elements of VR are now
consumer products
The history of VR

35. Outline
 Introduction
 The history of VR
 Types of VR
 Technologies of VR
 Architecture of VR system
 Applications of VR
 Current problems & Future work
 Summary
 Reference

36. Types of VR System
 Windows on World(WoW)
 Also called Desktop VR.
 Using a conventional computer monitor to display
the 3D virtual world.
 Immersive VR
 Completely immerse the user's personal viewpoint inside
the virtual 3D world.
 The user has no visual contact with the physical word.
 Often equipped with a Head Mounted Display (HMD).
Types of VR

37. Types of VR System(Cont’d)
 Telepresence
 A variation of visualizing complete computer
generated worlds.
 Links remote sensors in the real world with the senses of a
human operator. The remote sensors might be located on a
robot. Useful for performing operations in dangerous
environments.
Types of VR

38. Types of VR System(Cont’d)
 Mixed Reality(Augmented Reality)
 The seamless merging of real space and virtual space.
 Integrate the computer-generated virtual objects into the
physical world which become in a sense an equal part of our
natural environment.
 Distributed VR
 A simulated world runs on several computers which are
connected over network and the people are able to interact
in real time, sharing the same virtual world.
Types of VR

39. VR Examples (Cont’d)
 Telepresence VR
Types of VR

40. 40
VR Examples (Cont’d)
 Augmented VR
Types of VR

41. VR Examples (Cont’d)
 Distributed VR
Types of VR

42. Outline
 Introduction
 The history of VR
 Types of VR
 Technologies of VR
 Architecture of VR system
 Applications of VR
 Current problems & Future work
 Summary
 Reference

43. Technologies of VR--Hardware
 Head-Mounted Display (HMD)
− A Helmet or a face mask providing the visual
and auditory displays.
− Use LCD or CRT to display stereo images.
− May include built-in head-tracker and stereo
headphones
Technologies of VR

44. Technologies of VR--Hardware
 Binocular Omni-Orientation Monitor (BOOM)
− Head-coupled stereoscopic display device.
− Uses CRT to provide high-resolution display.
− Convenient to use.
− Fast and accurate built-in tracking.
Technologies of VR

45. Technologies of VR--Hardware
 Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE)
− Provides the illusion of immersion by projecting stereo
images on the walls and floor of a room-sized cube.
− A head tracking system continuously adjust the stereo
projection to the current position of the leading viewer.
Technologies of VR

46. Technologies of VR--Hardware
 Data Glove
 Outfitted with sensors on the fingers as well as an overall
position/orientation tracking equipment.
 Enables natural interaction with virtual objects by hand gesture
recognition.
Technologies of VR

47. Technologies of VR--Hardware
 Control Devices
 Control virtual objects in 3 dimensions.
Technologies of VR

48. Technologies of VR--Software
 Toolkits
 Programming libraries.
 Provide function libraries (C & C++).
 Authoring systems
 Complete programs with graphical interfaces for creating
worlds without resorting to detailed programming.
Technologies of VR

49. Technologies of VR--Software
 Software packages available in market
 Multiverse (Freeware)
 Virtual Reality Studio ($100)
 Sense8 World Tool Kit (WTK) (over $1000)
 Autodesk Cyberspace Development kit (over $1000)
Technologies of VR

50. Technologies of VR--Software
 VRML(Virtual Reality Modeling Language)
− Standard language for interactive simulation
within the World Wide Web.
− Allows to create "virtual worlds" networked via
the Internet and hyperlinked with the World
Wide Web.
− Aspects of virtual world display, interaction and
internetworking can be specified using VRML
without being dependent on special gear like
HMD.
 VR models can be viewed by Netscape or IE with a
browser plug-in.
Technologies of VR

51. Outline
 Introduction
 The history of VR
 Types of VR
 Technologies of VR
 Architecture of VR system
 Applications of VR
 Current problems & Future work
 Summary
 Reference

52.  Input Processor, Simulation Processor,
Rendering Processor and World
Database.
Input
Processor
Rendering
Processor
World Database
Simulation
Processor
visual,
auditory,
haptic,
touch…
Position &
Orientation
Architecture of VR system

53. Laboratory Hardware
Architecture of VR system

54. Components of VR System (Cont’d)
 Input Processor
 Control the devices used to input information
to the computer. The object is to get the
coordinate data to the rest of the system with
minimal lag time.
 Keyboard, mouse, 3D position trackers, a
voice recognition system, etc.
Architecture of VR system

55.  Simulation Processor
– Core of a VR system.
– Takes the user inputs along with any tasks
programmed into the world and determine
the actions that will take place in the virtual
world.
Architecture of VR system
Components of VR System (Cont’d)

56.  Rendering Processor
– Create the sensations that are output to
the user.
– Separate rendering processes are used for
visual, auditory, haptic 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.
Architecture of VR system
Components of VR System (Cont’d)

57.  World Database (World Description
Files)
– Store the objects that inhabit the world,
scripts that describe actions of those
objects.
Architecture of VR system
Components of VR System (Cont’d)

58. Outline
 Introduction
 The history of VR
 Types of VR
 Technologies of VR
 Architecture of VR system
 Applications of VR
 Current problems & Future work
 Summary
 Reference

59. Applications
 Entertainment
 More vivid
 Move exciting
 More attractive
Applications of VR

60. Applications (Cont’d)
 Medicine
− Practice performing
surgery.
− Perform surgery on a
remote patient.
− Teach new skills in a safe,
controlled environment.
Applications of VR

61. Applications (Cont’d)
 Manufacturing
 Easy to modify
 Low cost
 High efficient
Applications of VR

62. Applications (Cont’d)
 Education & Training
 Driving simulators.
 Flight simulators.
 Ship simulators.
 Tank simulators.
Applications of VR

63.  Military Training
Applications (Cont’d)
Applications of VR

64. Hank Simulator
Applications of VR

65. Outline
 Introduction
 The history of VR
 Types of VR
 Technologies of VR
 Architecture of VR system
 Applications of VR
 Current problems & Future work
 Summary
 Reference

66.  Cybersickness / simulator sickness
 Low-fidelity
 Expensive
 Lack of integration between application
packages
 High-fidelity system
 Cost-saving
 Collaborative
 High-level contact between participants in
distributed VR
Current problems & Future work

67. Outline
 Introduction
 The history of VR
 Types of VR
 Technologies of VR
 Architecture of VR system
 Applications of VR
 Current problems & Future work
 Summary
 Reference

68.  Visualization of complicated, large data is
helpful for understanding and analysis.
 VR offers us a new way to interact with
computer.
 VR enables us to experience the virtual world
that is impossible in real world.
 VR is changing our life, eventually VR will
increasingly become a part of our life.
Summary

69. Outline
 Introduction
 The history of VR
 Types of VR
 Technologies of VR
 Architecture of VR system
 Applications of VR
 Current problems & Future work
 Summary
 Reference

70.  [1] What is Virtual Reality?,
http://vr.isdale.com/WhatIsVR/frames/WhatIsVR4.1.html.
 [2] Augumented and Mixed Reality,
http://www.mic.atr.co.jp/~poup/research/ar/.
 [3] Virtual Reality Applications, http://vresources.jump-
gate.com/applications/applications.shtml.
 [4] K.-P. Beier. Virtual Reality: A short Introduction.
http://www-vrl.umich.edu/intro/
 [5] Franchi,J. Vertual Reality: An Overview. ERIC Digest,
June 1995
References

71. Textbook: Burdea and Coiffet,
Virtual Reality
Technology, 2nd
Edition, Wiley, 2003
References

72. Textbook web site:
www.vrtechnology.org
References

73. Textbook web site:
www.vrtechnology.org
References

74. 74
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