Virtual Reality (VR) Technology
Virtual Reality (VR) literally makes it possible to experience anything, anywhere, anytime. It is the most immersive type of reality technology and can convince the human brain that it is somewhere it is really not. Head mounted displays are used with headphones and hand controllers to provide a fully immersive experience.
Virtual reality (also called Virtual Realities or VR) is best understood by first defining what it aims to achieve – total immersion.
Total immersion means that the sensory experience feels so real, that we forget it is a virtual-artificial environment and begin to interact with it as we would naturally in the real world. In a virtual reality environment, a completely synthetic world may or may not mimic the properties of a real-world environment. This means that the virtual reality environment may simulate an everyday setting or may exceed the bounds of physical reality by creating a world in which the physical laws governing gravity, time and material properties no longer hold (e.g. shooting space aliens on a foreign gravity-less planet).
How Does Virtual Reality Work?
In order for the human brain to accept an artificial, virtual environment as real, it has to not only look real, but also feel real. Looking real can be achieved by wearing a head-mounted display (HMD) that displays a recreated life size, 3D virtual environment without the boundaries usually seen on TV or a computer screen. Feeling real can be achieved through handheld input devices such as motion trackers that base interactivity on the user’s movements. By stimulating many of the same senses one would use to navigate in the real world, virtual reality environments are feeling increasingly more like the natural world. Below, we explore some of the key components to behind this system.
Key Components in a Virtual Reality System
- PC ( Personal Computer)/Console/Smartphone
- Head-Mounted Display
- Input Devices
How Virtual Reality Headsets Work (Inside)
Inside of each virtual reality head-mounted display (HMD) is a series of sensors, individual eye displays, lenses, and display screen(s), among other various components. The Ifixit Oculus Rift teardown offers an excellent step-by-step teardown and look inside of one of the most popular virtual reality headsets. Below we explore some of the key components inside of a virtual reality headset.
Prof. Aruna Verma
Assist Professor
Computer Dept.
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