Virtual Reality 

Virtual reality is one of the modern technologies which was introduced a few decades back and has taken an important place in the field of technology in a very short time. it makes use of an artificial environment generated by the computer in which simulates the real environment. Besides gaining an immediate acceptance in the world of computer games, it is now being used in many fields of life including architecture, medicine, military and aviation. Scientists and researchers are expecting to explore a lot in this modern technology than what we know about it today. It is a great leap in the field of 3D and a lot of work is still under progress. The discussion below is an insight into the details of this technology, its uses, advantages, disadvantages and social impacts.

The term virtual reality refers to refers to a modern technology providing an immersive, interactive experience using the three dimensional computer based graphic images. This technology creates an artificial environment with the help of computer hardware and software and is presented to the user in way which simulates the real world.

The equipment makes use of a pair of special gloves, ear phones and goggles, the three of them being controlled by the computer. In this way, three of the user’s five senses are receiving and input from the computer. The goggles also act by detecting the eye movements of the user, thereby monitoring his actions.

TYPES OF VIRTUAL REALITY:

There are three main types of virtual reality technology:

1. The first one uses a helmet, ear phones and a pair of special gloves or joy sticks controlled by a computer and assisted by special sound effects and graphic images.

2. The second one makes use of the video cameras. These cameras track the image of the participant in an artificially created virtual world. The participant can even move the objects in this world using virtual technology.

3. The third type makes use of the three dimensional images. The screen used is shaped in a curve. This makes the images closer to the real world. (Nigel W. John, Joanna Leng (2001).

Applications:

Virtual reality is now being used in many professions including architecture, meteorology, military, medical and molecular studies.

1. Architecture-  Virtual reality has been now used for long in the field of architecture. It has been used to establish the models of buildings before the construction is started. It has also proved to be helpful to determine how a building may have collapsed and to provide improvements in reconstructing a damaged building.

2. Weather Forecast-  Virtual reality has also been used in the weather forecast profession by simulating the images with the data collected from the satellites and radars.

3. Military Training-  Now virtual reality has officially been declared a part of the U.S military training. They make use of the environments created using virtual reality in whole rooms where soldiers are provided different experiences. These include the war fields as well as different exercises.

4. Cancer Chemotherapy-  Another remarkable use of virtual reality in medical field is as a treatment for the cancer patients. Chemotherapy is a painful procedure for most of the patients, yet it is necessary as many malignant cancers can’t be treated but their progression can be stopped by the chemotherapy treatment.

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