The virtual reality is a data-processing Simulation immersive, visual, sound Interactive and/or Haptique, real or imaginary environments.
The expression is proposed by Jaron Lanier in 1985 to indicate a realistic space of representation , three-dimensional, calculated in Real-time, immersif. Because of originality of the expression, which one describes as Oxymore because of the apparent contradiction between the terms which composes it, the word Virtuel became in the media synonym of “numerical and immaterial”. English Virtual is more moderate. The term means indeed “quasi”. While Speaking about Virtual Reality Jaron Lanier probably spoke about “quasi-Reality”. The polemic on the relevance of an expression which became a technical term comes owing to the fact that according to the French dictionary, “reality” is not opposed to “virtual” but to “fiction”. Many authors including Pierre Levy and Gilles Deleuze pointed out that the opposite of “virtual” is “current” and not “reality”. The virtual one is thus well a component of reality, it is according to Maurice Benayoun “reality before it passes to the act”. The expression Virtual reality cannot thus in no case to be regarded as a oxymore.
Origin
The notion of virtual reality was implicitly outlined by Plato in his Allégorie of the cave, as by Rene Descartes which considers, in his Discourse on Method, the assumption that testimonys of its directions could be only one series of Illusion S coordinated by a malignant spirit (see demon). However, Descartes considers that since this assumption does not make it possible to go front in its investigations, it is not necessary to be delayed there and that it can also explore the assumption of the existence of a Réalité objectifies independent of our directions.Between the medium and end of the year 80 emerged from the research combined on the data-processing interfaces and simulation the first “diving-suit” individual allowing an human being to immerse themselves and interact inside worlds in synthesized images 3D.
The precursors of this technique are: Ivan Sutherland (MIT, then Université of Utah) which conceived in 1968-70 “Ultimate Display”, first helmet of visualization controlled to the movements of the head, Thomas Furness (US Air Force) which directed as from 1977 the program Visually-Coupled Airbone Systems Simulator (VCASS) on the virtual cockpits, Fred Brooks (University of North Carolina) which as from 1967 developed an arm with return of effort (haptic) for virtual environments, or Myron Krueger, inventor during the decade 1975-85 of “artificial reality” allowing to interact in real-time with infographic images on screen.
But the history of the RV (virtual reality) itself starts when Michæl McGreevy (center NASA-Hearts in California) lance in 1984 program VIVED or Virtual Environment Display intended to offer to the astronauts a new tool for posting of information and data for their future space missions. With James Humphries, this young researcher develops a cut-rate version of visual of helmet of the US Air Force. That of NASA is manufactured starting from screens LCD of mini-television sets commercial and a magnetic position encoder Polhemus; the unit being assembled on a helmet of motor bike and being connected by cable to a graphic console Evans and Sutherland and a DIGITAL computer.
In 1985, project VIVED is taken again by Scott Fisher, engineer a 34 year old resulting from MIT which, after two years at Atari Research, comes to be committed by NASA as a specialist in binocular perception and the interactive media. Until 1990, Fisher on the one hand will undertake a whole series of technical improvements and extensions to the project and on the other hand to give him multiple scientific objectives: preparation of vehicular extra missions in space, visualization of flow, simulations in surgery, biochemistry, teleoperation of robots, etc the helmet is initially improved by the addition of optics which widens the field of vision. Then with the company Hook To rivet Engineering, the system will grow rich by a device making it possible to generate a three-dimensional acoustic environment. Fisher adds also the vocal order using components of recognition and synthesis of the trade. But it still misses something of essence, the “hand”, like means of order and interaction by the gesture. It is Jaron Lanier which will provide it to him.
From eight years the junior by Scott Fisher, Jaron Lanier has the unusual journey of an autodidact, type-setter of music and impassioned of data processing. Since the beginning of the Eighties, he works with the development of a computer programming language, the “Mandala”, calling upon dynamic visual representations on screen, rather than with lines of code. From 1983, it articulates its “Mandala” with a glove of data, gestural peripheral of entry invented by another researcher musician, Thomas Zimmermann: bent on a fabric glove, fine flexible and hollow plastic tubes (later they will be fiberoptics) let pass more or less from light according to the angle of inflection of the fingers. To develop commercial applications of this innovation, company VPL Research (Visual Programming Language) is then created by Lanier with Zimmermann; and in 1985 Scott Fisher, which thinks of being able to associate the helmet of McGreevy with the glove of Lanier and Zimmermann signs a contract with this start up of Silicon Valley.
Fisher then requires of Warren Robinett, ex inventive of Atari plays, to program to him a virtual hand starting from the data coming from the glove of VPL. Robinett also will model the various worlds in 3D in which this hand will operate: laboratory, space shuttle, molecule of hemoglobin, etc In 1986, the first station of exploration of virtual worlds was born. Only function of visual posting given at the beginning by McGreevy with the project VIVED, Fisher widened contours of them to make of it a complete station of work for virtual environments; and in 1988, the project takes the name of VIEW for “Virtual Environment Workstation”.
Moreover, the robot-like applications imagined by Fisher make it possible to lead to the concept of téléprésence. On its side VPL continues to develop hardware and software tools with business ends between 1986 and 1989: the interfaces (glove DataGlove and visiocasque Eyephone) and the software (modeller 3D Swivel, returned Isaac image and engine of movements of the body Body Electric) are integrated in a data-processing architecture (containing Macintosh and of two stations Silicon Graphics) that VPL will propose in 1989 under the name of system RB2 (“reality built for two”). Lanier introduces at the same time the concept of televirtuality which makes it possible two distant operators to be connected simultaneously in the same virtual world. The first official demonstrations of this personal simulator take place in June 1989 on the west coast of the United States. Launched by Lanier itself a new slogan circulates: Virtual reality Arrives! Jean Segura, French scientific journalist specialized in the synthesized image, the numerical special effects and virtual reality since 1985 met and interviewed, through several missions for the press like for the City of Sciences in Paris, the principal inventors and contributors of this emerging technology. More: http://www.jeansegura.fr/
Systems
Virtual reality is installation by various means:- Workbench
- spherical or cubic Room immersive (CELLAR, SAS Cube), made up of screens of rétroprojection or direct projection stereoscopic and synchronized. The user is immersed in a part where the walls, the ground and/or the ceiling are projected images which constitute an environment geometrically coherent. By a system of capture of position of the visitor, the prospect is recomputed in Real-time to respect its point of view.
- Of the glasses of virtual reality: the user sees only the scene actually virtual, in stereoscopy. The prospect is recomputed to correspond to its point of view.
- Gant of data allows the navigation or the handling of objects virtual in the representation.
- Wand registered trademark, physical device of navigation in a immersive room.
Applications
The applications are numerous:- Formation by Simulator (driving vehicles, aerospace, medicine)
- Medical applications: treatment of the phobias, via the cognitivo-behavioral Psychotherapy, simulation of surgery.
- nuclear Applications: dismantling of installations in contaminated mediums (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique).
- numerical Art creation artistic interactive and immersives (Jeffrey Shaw, Maurice Benayoun, Tank Davies).
- Video game
- scientific TV-immersion
- Visualization
- Astrophysical Meteorology
- Basic research
- Architecture-town planning
- House automation
- Conservation of cultural heritage
- Visits and presentations of museums and virtual sites
- Reconstitution of objects and destroyed or damaged sites
- Creation of sound works
- Sculpture of virtual objects
Conferences
- Laval Virtual, International meetings of Virtual reality
- Siggraph, International meetings of the digital image and Virtual reality
See too
- numerical Art
- 3D interactive
- Glove of data
- Virtual Métavers
- Reality
- increased Reality
- vrml
- Web3D
External bonds
- Laval Virtual: International meetings of Virtual reality
- VRoot.org: News/Resources of Virtual reality published by and for the community of the VR
- tools for an immersion in virtual reality
- Plunged in virtual reality
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