“The incredible thing about the technology is that you feel like you’re actually present in another place with other people. People who try it say it’s different from anything they’ve ever experienced in their lives.” – Mark Zuckerberg
Table of Contents
Science fiction has given way to the immersive and revolutionary technology known as virtual reality (VR), which has captivated the interest of millions of people. Virtual reality (VR) has transformed from a fringe idea to a popular phenomena in recent years, impacting many industries and changing how we consume digital material.
Nowadays, the majority of people are aware of virtual reality headsets, which are akin to glasses or goggles and fit over the head. Some VR experiences, similar to those seen in 4D productions, feature multi-projected environments with enhanced senses, such as touch.
At the very least, VR headsets will allow you to experience everything in 360°. When utilising virtual reality (VR), users may see around a fake environment and, with the correct add-ons, they can even be able to move around and interact with it.
Virtual Reality the basics
Fundamentally, virtual reality builds an interactive, simulated world for users to engage with. Virtual reality headsets and other specialised devices are used to experience this fake environment, which is frequently created by powerful computers. These headsets provide users a sense of presence and engagement by immersing them in a 360-degree digital environment through the use of motion sensors and display technology.
Software
When VRML was originally released in 1994, its goal was to enable the creation of “virtual worlds” without the need for headsets. In 1997, the Web3D consortium was established with the aim of creating industry standards for 3D graphics on the web. From the VRML framework, the consortium went on to create X3D, an archival open-source standard for web-based VR content delivery. An experimental JavaScript application programming interface (API) called WebVR allows you to use a web browser to control virtual reality devices like the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, or OSVR.
Hardware
The technology used in modern virtual reality headset displays is derived from smartphones. This technology includes tiny HD screens for stereoscopic displays, quick, light, and compact computer processors, gyroscopes and motion sensors for detecting head, body, and hand locations. The first independently produced VR headgear was made available on Kickstarter in 2012 by Oculus Rift thanks to these components, which also made VR development more affordable for independent developers.
History of Virtual reality
Virtual reality was inspired by the evolution of perspective in Renaissance European art and Sir Charles Wheatstone’s invention of the stereoscope. Science fiction was the source of the earliest references to the more contemporary idea of virtual reality.
Let’s look into the century wise evolution on how VR got across the years-
20th century
In the 1950s, Morton Heilig talked about a “Experience Theatre” that could effectively engage all of the senses and engage the audience in the action on screen. Heilig created an additional invention, which he named the “Telesphere Mask” and had patented in 1960.
1970–1990
From 1977 to 1984, David Em was the first artist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to create navigable virtual environments.
The Large Expanse, Extra Perspective (LEEP) optical system was created in 1979 by Eric Howlett. A stereoscopic image with a field-of-view large enough to produce a convincing sense of space was produced by the combined system.
One of the modern pioneers in the subject, Jaron Lanier, popularised the phrase “virtual reality” during the late 1980s. In 1984, Lanier started the business VPL Research. The Reality Built For Two (RB2), the DataGlove, the EyePhone, and the AudioSphere are just a few of the VR gadgets that VPL Research has created.
1990–2000
The first consumer headsets were widely released for sale in the 1990s. For example, Computer Gaming World forecasted “affordable VR by 1994” in 1992.
Entrepreneur Philip Rosedale founded Linden Lab in 1999, initially concentrating on the creation of VR devices.
21st century
The public’s and investors’ lack of interest in commercially available virtual reality technologies peaked in the 2000s.
The first PC-based cubic room was SAS Cube (SAS3), created in 2001 by Z-A Production (Maurice Benayoun, David Nahon), Barco, and Clarté. Google unveiled Street View in 2007, a programme that provides panoramic views of a growing number of global locations, including highways, interior buildings, and rural regions.
Palmer Luckey created the initial Oculus Rift prototype in 2010. This prototype could only track rotationally because it was constructed on top of the shell of another VR headset.
John Carmack introduces the Rift for the first time in 2012 at the E3 video game trade conference. At a cost of $3 billion, Facebook acquired Oculus VR in 2014. The discovery of low-persistence displays, which allows for lag-free and smear-free VR content presentation, was made by Valve in 2013 and was openly shared.
The PlayStation VR, code-named Project Morpheus, was introduced by Sony in 2014 as a virtual reality headgear for the PlayStation 4 gaming system.
At least 230 businesses were working on VR-related goods as of 2016. There were specialised teams for AR and VR at Sony, Samsung, Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft.
HTC began shipping the HTC Vive SteamVR headset in 2016.
In 2019 Oculus debuted the Oculus Quest standalone headset and the Oculus Rift S. As opposed to the exterior outside-in tracking found in earlier headset generations, these headsets used inside-out tracking.
In 2020, Oculus released the Oculus Quest 2. Some new features include a sharper screen, reduced price, and increased performance.
In 2021, EASA approved the first Virtual Reality based Flight Simulation Training Device. The device, for rotorcraft pilots, enhances safety by opening up the possibility of practicing risky maneuvers in a virtual environment.
In 2023, The PlayStation VR2, a sequel to its 2016 headgear, was produced by Sony. Inside-out tracking, sharper screens, controllers with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, and a broader field of vision are all features of the PlayStation VR2.
In June 2023, The Apple Vision Pro was unveiled by Apple. This is their initial foray into the virtual reality headset industry.
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The Essence of Virtual Reality:
VR creates simulated settings that appeal to our senses by utilising state-of-the-art technologies. Wearing customised headsets, individuals are thrust into synthetic environments that accurately replicate real-world settings. Beyond only visual stimulation, this sensory immersion incorporates aspects like music and touch to improve the whole experience.
Types of Virtual Reality
1. Non – immersive virtual reality
A computer screen or other projection device is used to display a virtual environment in the most basic form of virtual reality (VR). Users can use a mouse, keyboard, or other input device to interact with the environment. This type of VR is widely used in training and education.
2. Semi – immersive virtual reality
While semi-immersive VR systems likewise provide us with a high degree of immersion, they do it with less expensive and sophisticated tools and devices. The devices and tools in this system are everyday objects that make use of physical models.
3. Fully - immersive virtual reality
The virtual world is closest to an immersive VR system. We achieve the maximum degree of immersion as a result. The cost of this VR system is higher than others. It offers the closest experience to being in a virtual environment. This system makes use of sophisticated and uncommon tools and gadgets.
Real world applications of virtual reality
Virtual reality has applications in business (virtual meetings), education (medical or military training), and entertainment (video games, in particular). While terminology are still being worked out due to the industry’s youth, augmented reality and mixed reality—also known as extended reality or XR—are other discrete forms of VR-style technology.
Below are the some of the applications of Virtual reality across the world.
1. Healthcare
VR makes it easier to learn and develop in an outdoor, real-world setting.
Specialists who must carry out extremely precise procedures can practise with virtual reality (VR) without having to wait for an emergency to arise.
Trainers adopt virtual patients in order to acquire skills that they can utilise in the real world. Virtual reality (VR) technology is not only helping to improve the calibre of medical education but also has the ability to reduce costs.
2. Entertainment
One of the first uses of virtual reality in entertainment was in the movie. Even the prestigious Cannes Film Festival was an early adopter of virtual reality. In fact, it was the first to air presentations and virtual reality shorts in a section specifically for that purpose in 2016.
Imagine immersing yourself in the filmmaking process rather than merely viewing it. VR video production yields exceptional experiences, as do the devices that play back the results. and those that fundamentally alter the ways in which individuals can engage with their entertainment.
People’s experiences with art galleries are being transformed by virtual reality through entertainment systems such as the Art Gallery VR app.
3. Automotive
Through virtual reality software, test driving, showcasing, and prototyping may be done virtually, lowering production and R&D expenses, boosting sales, and lowering driving risks. The global VR market for the automotive sector was valued at $759.3 million in 2019 and is expected to reach $14,727.9 million by 2027 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45.1%.
The largest shareholder in the worldwide automotive virtual reality market is North America. While Tesla uses virtual rides to market its vehicles, Ford Motor Company creates a VR training tool to hone the abilities of its mechanics. Germany is still the front-runner in Europe for automotive VR adoption: virtual prototyping helped Volkswagen cut design costs, immersive showrooms helped BMW boost sales, and virtual reality testing helped Audi improve the safety of producing self-driving cars.
4. Education
Virtual reality (VR) is becoming more and more popular in education, as more schools use the technology. 360VR is a useful tool in education for teaching students about their surroundings. Furthermore, virtual reality possesses a special capacity to enthuse and engage students.
Students can visit places that are either too costly or impractical to visit in person. VR can thus give educators and educational institutions access to a whole new realm of opportunities.
Immersion classrooms, often known as virtual reality classrooms, are among the most popular and successful uses of virtual reality in education.
A classroom that uses projections of pictures on its interior walls is called an immersive classroom. This turns the classroom into a virtual space.
One popular and useful method of introducing VR into the classroom is using VR headsets. Virtual reality headsets are becoming more and more popular among schools since they require little money, space, or equipment.
5. Space
Sometimes even the most skilled and knowledgeable professional needs assistance. The International Space Station crew, specialists on the ground, and increasingly augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) technologies provide that helping hand to astronauts.
Virtual reality is now being used by engineers to test repair procedures and design instruments for spacecrafts before they begin construction or maintenance. It saves time and money to design, develop, and repair problems virtually before transferring to a real model.
6. Architecture
Virtual reality applications will benefit all construction projects, whether they are residential, commercial, or of a similar nature, as they will enable these projects to be visualised in a virtual environment, allowing for the interpretation of every aspect of the project, including safety precautions and the reduction of any discrepancies from the finalised design.
VR can aid in the planning and visualisation of interior spaces by architects and interior designers.
Solutions from VR enable designers to create, alter, and see interior rooms in a completely realistic setting, complete with furniture placement and material choices.
7. Digital marketing
Online marketing requires high-quality content, and as any business owner knows, it is crucial to provide their audience with consistent value. Virtual reality content marketing is a cutting-edge approach to showcase your company to prospective clients straight from their VR headsets. For the most exposure, the video needs to be posted on social media platforms.
Utilising virtual reality to their advantage can help content marketers stay abreast of the rapidly changing technology landscape in the tourism industry.
8. Tourism
Virtual reality is already included into the marketing strategies of some of the largest travel businesses in the world. Even if travelling can be avoided with virtual reality, most individuals who observe a destination on a VR video will desire to visit it in person.
Nowadays, a lot of lodging facilities and tour operators offer virtual reality features on their websites or mobile applications, enabling visitors to virtually explore a hotel room or even a local location.
9. Gaming
The use of a three-dimensional (3D) artificial environment in computer games is known as virtual reality gaming. VR software is used to construct virtual reality experiences that are presented to users in a way that surpasses the actual world, allowing the user to suspend disbelief and feel as though they are in a genuine place.
VR gaming systems produce lifelike experiences that mimic the user’s physical presence in a computer-generated setting. VR gaming systems aim to give gamers the impression that they are living in a virtual world.
The rapid rise of virtual reality gaming can be attributed to various factors such as game development, hardware developments, and user adoption. The need for social VR interactions, competitive multiplayer games, and realistic simulations is driving gamers to embrace VR’s immersive experiences more and more.
Augmented reality and mixed reality, often known as extended reality or XR, are two more discrete forms of VR-like technology.
What is Augumented reality?
An interactive experience called augmented reality adds computer-generated perceptual data to the physical world. Augmented reality is the process of superimposing digital content—such as apps, software, and hardware like AR glasses—onto actual locations and things.
What is Mixed reality?
Users can concurrently observe and interact with the real world and the virtual environment thanks to mixed reality (MR). You are mingling realities when you play a virtual video game while sipping actual coffee and give some of your coffee to a fictional character in the game.
What is Extended reality?
Augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR) are examples of technologies that fall under the broad category of extended reality (XR) and that modify reality by introducing digital aspects to the physical or real-world environment to whatever degree.
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