Virtual Reality Technology and Applications

Virtual Reality Technology and Applications
Author: Matjaž Mihelj
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2013-09-03
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9400769105

As virtual reality expands from the imaginary worlds of science fiction and pervades every corner of everyday life, it is becoming increasingly important for students and professionals alike to understand the diverse aspects of this technology. This book aims to provide a comprehensive guide to the theoretical and practical elements of virtual reality, from the mathematical and technological foundations of virtual worlds to the human factors and the applications that enrich our lives: in the fields of medicine, entertainment, education and others. After providing a brief introduction to the topic, the book describes the kinematic and dynamic mathematical models of virtual worlds. It explores the many ways a computer can track and interpret human movement, then progresses through the modalities that make up a virtual world: visual, acoustic and haptic. It explores the interaction between the actual and virtual environments, as well as design principles of the latter. The book closes with an examination of different applications, focusing on augmented reality as a special case. Though the content is primarily VR-related, it is also relevant for many other fields.

Reality Media

Reality Media
Author: Jay David Bolter
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 245
Release: 2021-11-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0262045125

How augmented reality and virtual reality are taking their places in contemporary media culture alongside film and television. T This book positions augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) firmly in contemporary media culture. The authors view AR and VR not as the latest hyped technologies but as media—the latest in a series of what they term “reality media,” taking their places alongside film and television. Reality media inserts a layer of media between us and our perception of the world; AR and VR do not replace reality but refashion a reality for us. Each reality medium mediates and remediates; each offers a new representation that we implicitly compare to our experience of the world in itself but also through other media. The authors show that as forms of reality media emerge, they not only chart a future path for media culture, but also redefine media past. With AR and VR in mind, then, we can recognize their precursors in eighteenth-century panoramas and the Broadway lights of the 1930s. A digital version of Reality Media, available through the book’s website, invites readers to visit a series of virtual rooms featuring interactivity, 3-D models, videos, images, and texts that explore the themes of the book.

The Reality Game

The Reality Game
Author: Samuel Woolley
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2020-01-07
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1541768248

Fake news posts and Twitter trolls were just the beginning. What will happen when misinformation moves from our social media feeds into our everyday lives? Online disinformation stormed our political process in 2016 and has only worsened since. Yet as Samuel Woolley shows in this urgent book, it may pale in comparison to what's to come: humanlike automated voice systems, machine learning, "deepfake" AI-edited videos and images, interactive memes, virtual reality, and more. These technologies have the power not just to manipulate our politics, but to make us doubt our eyes and ears and even feelings. Deeply researched and compellingly written, The Reality Game describes the profound impact these technologies will have on our lives. Each new invention built without regard for its consequences edges us further into this digital dystopia. Yet Woolley does not despair. Instead, he argues pointedly for a new culture of innovation, one built around accountability and especially transparency. With social media dragging us into a never-ending culture war, we must learn to stop fighting and instead prevent future manipulation. This book shows how we can use our new tools not to control people but to empower them.

Practical Augmented Reality

Practical Augmented Reality
Author: Steve Aukstakalnis
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Total Pages: 595
Release: 2016-09-08
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0134094352

The most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to the technologies, applications and human factors considerations of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) systems and wearable computing devices. Practical Augmented Reality is ideal for practitioners and students concerned with any application, from gaming to medicine. It brings together comprehensive coverage of both theory and practice, emphasizing leading-edge displays, sensors, and DIY tools that are already available commercially or will be soon. Beginning with a Foreword by NASA research scientist Victor Luo, this guide begins by explaining the mechanics of human sight, hearing and touch, showing how these perceptual mechanisms (and their performance ranges) directly dictate the design and use of wearable displays, 3-D audio systems, and tactile/force feedback devices. Steve Aukstakalnis presents revealing case studies of real-world applications from gaming, entertainment, science, engineering, aeronautics and aerospace, defense, medicine, telerobotics, architecture, law enforcement, and geophysics. Readers will find clear, easy-to-understand explanations, photos, and illustrations of devices including the Atheer AiR, HTC Vive, DAQRI Smart Helmet, Oculus (Facebook) CV1, Sony PlayStation VR, Vuzix M300, Google Glass, and many more. Functional diagrams and photographs clearly explain how these devices operate, and link directly to relevant theoretical and practical content. Practical Augmented Reality thoroughly considers the human factors of these systems, including sensory and motor physiology constraints, monocular and binocular depth cues, elements contributing to visually-induced motion sickness and nausea, and vergence–accommodation conflicts. It concludes by assessing both the legal and societal implications of new and emerging AR, VR, and wearable technologies as well as provides a look next generation systems.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
Author: M. Claudia tom Dieck
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2021-05-04
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 303068086X

This book features the latest research in the area of immersive technologies, presented at the 6th International Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Conference, held in online in 2020. Bridging the gap between academia and industry, it presents the state of the art in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies and their applications in various industries such as marketing, education, health care, tourism, events, fashion, entertainment, retail and the gaming industry. The book is a collection of research papers by prominent AR and VR scholars from around the globe. Covering the most significant topics in the field of augmented and virtual reality and providing the latest findings, it is of interest to academics and practitioners alike.

Virtual Reality Technology

Virtual Reality Technology
Author: Grigore C. Burdea
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 644
Release: 2017-11-01
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 111948572X

A groundbreaking Virtual Reality textbook is now even better Virtual reality is a very powerful and compelling computer application by which humans can interface and interact with computer-generated environments in a way that mimics real life and engages all the senses. Although its most widely known application is in the entertainment industry, the real promise of virtual reality lies in such fields as medicine, engineering, oil exploration and the military, to name just a few. Through virtual reality scientists can triple the rate of oil discovery, pilots can dogfight numerically-superior "bandits," and surgeons can improve their skills on virtual (rather than real) patients. This Second Edition of the first comprehensive technical book on the subject of virtual reality provides updated and expanded coverage of the technology--where it originated, how it has evolved, and where it is going. The authors cover all of the latest innovations and applications that are making virtual reality more important than ever before, including: * Coverage on input and output interfaces including touch and force feedback * Computing architecture (with emphasis on the rendering pipeline and task distribution) * Object modeling (including physical and behavioral aspects) * Programming for virtual reality * An in-depth look at human factors issues, user performance, and * sensorial conflict aspects of VR * Traditional and emerging VR applications The new edition of Virtual Reality Technology is specifically designed for use as a textbook. Thus it includes definitions, review questions, and a Laboratory Manual with homework and programming assignments. The accompanying CD-ROM also contains video clips that reinforce the topics covered in the textbook. The Second Edition will serve as a state-of-the-art resource for both graduate and undergraduate students in engineering, computer science, and other disciplines. GRIGORE C. BURDEA is a professor at Rutgers-the State University of New Jersey, and author of the book Force and Touch Feedback for Virtual Reality, also published by Wiley. PHILIPPE COIFFET is a Director of Research at CNRS (French National Scientific Research Center) and Member of the National Academy of Technologies of France. He authored 20 books on Robotics and VR translated into several languages.

Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 557
Release: 1995-01-13
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0309051355

Despite widespread interest in virtual reality, research and development efforts in synthetic environments (SE)â€"the field encompassing virtual environments, teleoperation, and hybridsâ€"have remained fragmented. Virtual Reality is the first integrated treatment of the topic, presenting current knowledge along with thought-provoking vignettes about a future where SE is commonplace. This volume 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. The committee of computer scientists, engineers, and psychologists on the leading edge of SE development explores the potential applications of SE in the areas of manufacturing, medicine, education, training, scientific visualization, and teleoperation in hazardous environments. The committee also offers recommendations for development of improved SE technology, needed studies of human behavior and evaluation of SE systems, and government policy and infrastructure.

Cases on Immersive Virtual Reality Techniques

Cases on Immersive Virtual Reality Techniques
Author: Yang, Kenneth C.C.
Publisher: IGI Global
Total Pages: 381
Release: 2019-04-12
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1522559132

As virtual reality approaches mainstream consumer use, new research and innovations in the field have impacted how we view and can use this technology across a wide range of industries. Advancements in this technology have led to recent breakthroughs in sound, perception, and visual processing that take virtual reality to new dimensions. As such, research is needed to support the adoption of these new methods and applications. Cases on Immersive Virtual Reality Techniques is an essential reference source that discusses new applications of virtual reality and how they can be integrated with immersive techniques and computer resources. Featuring research on topics such as 3D modeling, cognitive load, and motion cueing, this book is ideally designed for educators, academicians, researchers, and students seeking coverage on the applications of collaborative virtual environments.

Understanding Virtual Reality

Understanding Virtual Reality
Author: William R. Sherman
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann
Total Pages: 940
Release: 2018-11-08
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 012801038X

Understanding Virtual Reality: Interface, Application, and Design, Second Edition arrives at a time when the technologies behind virtual reality have advanced dramatically. The book helps users take advantage of the ways they can identify and prepare for the applications of VR in their field. By approaching VR as a communications medium, the authors have created a resource that will remain relevant even as underlying technologies evolve. Included are a history of VR, systems currently in use, the application of VR, and the many issues that arise in application design and implementation, including hardware requirements, system integration, interaction techniques and usability. - Features substantive, illuminating coverage designed for technical or business readers and the classroom - Examines VR's constituent technologies, drawn from visualization, representation, graphics, human-computer interaction and other fields - Provides (via a companion website) additional case studies, tutorials, instructional materials, and a link to an open-source VR programming system - Includes updated perception material and new sections on game engines, optical tracking, VR visual interface software, and a new glossary with pictures

Reality Check

Reality Check
Author: Jeremy Dalton
Publisher: Kogan Page Publishers
Total Pages: 249
Release: 2021-01-03
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1789666341

Discover THE next big competitive advantage in business: learn how augmented and virtual reality can put your business ahead. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are part of a new wave of immersive technologies that offer huge opportunities for businesses, across industries and regardless of their size. Most people think of AR or VR as a new development in video gaming like Pokémon GO, or an expensive marketing campaign by the Nikes of the world. The truth is, businesses of any size can put these new technologies to immediate use in areas that include: - Learning and development - Remote collaboration and assistance - Visualization of remote assets and environments - Sales and marketing - Consumer behaviour research Reality Check dispels the common misconceptions of AR and VR, such as them being too expensive or not easily scalable, and details how business leaders can integrate them into their business to deliver more efficient, impactful and cost-effective business solutions. The up and coming voice of AR and VR for businesses, Jeremy Dalton, uses case studies from organizations all over the world including Cisco, Ford, GlaxoSmithKline, La Liga and Vodafone to showcase the practical uses of immersive technologies. Reality Check makes cutting-edge technology accessible and grounds them into the everyday workings of normal businesses. It is your one-stop non-technical guide to incredibly exciting new technologies that will deliver results.