Virtual Reality Technology

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) is a new medium that has captured the public imagination, offering nothing less than a way for us to extend our social space from the physical into the electronic. Recently, the term has expanded from the old-fashioned flight simulators and three-dimensional optical displays to computer games and shared worlds on the Internet. In this discussion, we will survey the existing technologies and their uses, especially modern low-cost methods. We will look at the human factors elements, how the sensory illusions work, and the phenomena of presence and embodiment.

Jeffrey Jacobson is the Director of PublicVR, a non-profit dedicated to freeware and research in Virtual Reality for education. See http://publicvr.org