Virtual Realities

Virtual Realities

Jason Lamb, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Definitions and background

Virtual Reality is a “technology that enables users to enter a world generated by a computer and allows them to interact with it through sight, sound, and touch” (North, Hill, Aikhuele, & North, 2003, p. 34). By creating a three-dimensional world, users are able to manipulate virtual objects in real-time via the use of computer systems that interface with a number of specialized peripheral devices. (Nadan, Alexandrov, Jamieson, & Watson, 2011).

Largely used in the fields of automotive/aerospace design, medical training, entertainment, and military training (Abulrub, Attridge, & Williams, 2011), Virtual Reality has also begun to find its way into many higher-education engineering programs (Abulrub et al., 2011). The use of Virtual Realities can also be found in gaming applications, and more specifically, interactive game-based learning solutions (Psotka, 2013).

Historically, Virtual Realities have been influenced by the development of television, 3D graphics, animation, display technology, human-computer interfaces, and remote control (Barker, 1993). The Virtual Realities also incorporate many of the principles of those individual technologies. The technology itself can conceptually trace its history back to the 1950s, with Morton Heilig’s Sensorama project which allowed users to participate in a 3D movie that reacted to riding a stationary bicycle (Barker, 1993).