Alex Brockus

URWT 1102-26429

Prof. Weber

31 March, 2017

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is a computer generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or

environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by use of electronic

equipment. The fundamental idea of virtual reality, otherwise known as VR, is astounding and

quite interesting. Virtual reality is amazing, and we all should push for its further development!

The base questions that seem to be asked when dealing with virtual reality is what exactly

is it, what it can do, and will it work? Well, to answer these questions simply, virtual reality can

be the fundamental idea for much more than just video games as currently thought. Virtual

reality will one day become capable of running real life simulations that people will actually be

able to go into and experience first hand without leaving their homes.

Another question that may be asked would be, wouldnt using these ideas involving

Virtual Reality make people lazy and fat? Well, to answer that question, there are only theories of

what virtual reality will be capable of, but imagine a world where you could go to school with

individualized education, have a lifetime of experiences, including gaining any knowledge of any

kind in a few weeks time. This would lead great advancements both for this world as well as the
individual. We could even program these virtual reality settings to help lead everyone in a proper

path to being a proper and a good help to their community in the best way that they possibly

could, while enjoying what they were doing. Someone could put on these goggles and live

through simulations where they can feel and touch people that are across the world, or maybe

even on another planet. The uses of VR have unlimited potential. My argument and questions

involving Virtual Reality include what are more possible uses of virtual reality and why are we

not putting forth more effort in donating as well as developing this amazing technology?

As Howard Rheingold said in his book, Virtual Reality:The Revolutionary Technology of

Computer-Generated Artificial Worlds, Imagine being able to "walk" into your computer and

interact with any program you create. It sounds like science fiction, but it's science fact. His

book summarizes some of the possibilities of VR like surgeons operating on computer generated

virtual Patients to help improve practice and accuracy, or even being able to walk through

virtual blueprints of a building that has not been built yet. He also further goes on about the

science and physics aspects of VR and how everything involving VR can be possible in the

future. Rheingold takes us to the front lines of this revolutionary new technology that creates

computer-generated worlds complete with the sensations of touch and motion, and explores its

impact on everything from entertainment to particle physics. as said on Simon and Schusters

short summary of the book.

A perfect example of present day research and development when it pertains to VR,

would be by Nathaniel I Durlach, Anne S Mavor, and the National Research Council in their

book Virtual Reality: scientific and technological challenges. This book discusses all aspects of
creating a system that will allow human operators to see, hear, smell, taste, move about, give

commands, respond to conditions, and manipulate objects effectively in a real or virtual

environment.(p.3, Durlach) This book talks about the revolutionary concepts that virtual reality

is capable of. It talks about teleoperation as well as how virtual reality can be used as treatment

for certain diseases. It talks about the current knowledge on the subject of virtual reality as well

as discusses what is possible in the near future. The book also briefly touches on AG or

Augmented reality which you can see signs of that coming into existence even now. Augmented

Reality is basically an integrated version of our real reality. For instance, imagine walking down

a road you walk down every day and seeing something that was added virtually to what you see,

such as a monster or a pokemon. Hopefully with the help of AG, people will become more

accustomed to virtual reality and be more willing to invest more of their time and money into

researching it.

In the lecture Augmented reality, virtual reality, and computer graphics, during the third

AVR International Conference in Lecce, Italy in 2016, Lucio Paolis and Antonio Mongelli talk

about all things virtual reality, augmented reality, and computer graphics. This lecture consisted

of 40 papers and 29 short papers. The purpose of this conference and these lectures was to

updated all other researchers and others in this field of study or closely related to discuss and

inform others on recent developments occurring from around the world. This long lecture was

the centerpiece for the whole conference. These articles mostly discussed areas of medicine,

cultural heritage, arts, education, entertainment, industrial and military sectors when relating to

Augmented reality(AG), Virtual Reality(VR), and Computer Graphics(CG). This conference has

helped bring those fields of study to where they are today, and has even affected other fields of
study, such as robotics as it pertains to augmented reality and our everyday lives. In order to

understand virtual reality and all things related, this lecture is a very important read. Summarized

versions of said lecture can both help advance the current limitations on virtual reality as well as

bring virtual realities unlimited potential to light, such as different coding algorithms to make the

imaging systems more realistic.

Virtual Reality Leads Marketers Down a Tricky Path, written by Janet Morrissey from

NYTimes brings up another good point when speaking about VR. She discusses virtual reality

and how it affects businesses and advertisements as it pertains to branding and large companies.

This article discusses how businesses are trying to involved technology if how they advertise to

try and reach the interest of the now mainstream idea of virtual reality. These ideas include

making 360 degree videos as well as more creative ways to present their product while adding a

sense of a virtualized reality or something other than what is actually there.

There are many brands are trying to bring an experience that is about creating an

adventure or a sense that the person they are advertising to, aren't actually where they are doing

the things they are doing. In other words, give them a false sense of what they are wanting or

searching for in a way that has not been done before. A more immersive way to convince viewers

that there product is out of this world but still possible. Some major brands such as Nike and

Mercedes.

In the article Finding Your Chill In VR is Easy When You Can Meditate On Mars,

Adario Strange describes another compelling reason to using virtual reality that can open up for

another way to use and think about how virtual reality can be used. He says that meditating,
along with many other everyday processes could be controlled or assisted with the

implementation of Virtual reality. He then goes into detail of things in movies that have and still

are things that seem impossible, but, with virtual reality, anything is possible.

The impossible is possible with the use of virtual reality, otherwise known as VR. He

discusses the possibility to leave your home or even leaving the planet, with the use of virtual

reality, without leaving your favorite chair or even your own bed. He claims that we will even

one day be able to feel with touch, and eventually with our other senses, in virtual reality and

with that, the possibilities could only expand from their. Virtual reality is our impossible, yet

completely open sandbox video game. Like Minecraft, except physics doesn't have to exist.

Anything you want to exist, can.

Another interesting take on Virtual reality would be that by an article written by Emma

Sheppard, With this Virtual Ring, I thee wed...how to tie the knot in VR. In this article, Ms.

Sheppard discusses the possibility of living through what others have already lived through with

VR. The article begins by saying that 360 degree videos of things such as weddings are used

today, but living through this in the first-person perspective could be possible after only

transferring the format into one accepted by virtual reality. Even though it currently may have

been rather expensive, a couple had their wedding taken and transferred into a very basic virtual

reality sense, where the viewer of the video would actually seem, with a virtual reality headset,

be capable of walking through their wedding in a sense as if they were a guest of the wedding, as

it was happening. Now we have advanced much since the recording of this so called Virtual

reality wedding, but with this, we can live through others events or experiences, no matter the
time or date. Imagine being able to go to your dead mother's passing, if you couldn't make it

during the time of death. This is only a concept, but can soon become implemented. This related

to my essay by describing how and what virtual reality is capable of. Virtual reality is going to

become amazing, and we all should work together to create a future with everything involving

virtual reality!

Virtual reality still has a long way to go, and there are many issues that need to be

overcome, but one day, hopefully sooner better than later, VR will be used to its fullest potential.

Some of the issues involving VR being used to its fullest potential are; The technology is still out

of reach, price is still a problem for the average person, the health effects are still unknown,

getting non-gamers to commit, and the lack of a monetization plan. Many of these issues need

resolving, but I propose that we all try to look for a better future and work together to make this

world a better place. Invest in virtual reality today!

Works Cited

Sheppard, Emma. "With this virtual ring, I thee wed ... how to tie the knot in VR." The Guardian.

Guardian News and Media, 10 Mar. 2017. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.

Strange, Adario. "Finding your chill in VR is easy when you can meditate on Mars." Mashable.

Mashable, 08 Mar. 2017. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.

Janet Morrissey. "Virtual Reality Leads Marketers Down a Tricky Path." NYTIMES, 5 Mar.

2017. Web. 7 Mar. 2017.

Tommaso, De Paolis Lucio, and Antonio Mongelli. Augmented reality, virtual reality, and

computer graphics: third international conference, AVR 2016, Lecce, Italy, June 15-18, 2016:

proceedings, Part I. Cham: Springer, 2016. Print.

Rheingold, Howard. Virtual reality. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1992. Print.

Durlach, Nathaniel I., and Anne S. Mavor. Virtual reality: scientific and technological

challenges. Washington D.C.: National academy press, 1995. Print.