Virtual reality

You can visit a new world.

It is not a real place. You wear a special mask. This mask has small screens. They show you new things. You can look around. You can even move. Some tools let you touch things. You might use games for fun. Doctors use it for school. It helps people learn. It feels like you are there!

Virtual reality, or VR, is a way to visit a fake world.

It uses computer software to make you feel like you are really there. You can look around and move in this new place. You can even touch things in the virtual world.

Most people use a VR headset. This is a device you wear on your head. It has small screens in front of your eyes. These screens show different images to each eye. This makes the world look three-dimensional. Some systems use many large screens in a special room. This is called a CAVE.

VR is used for many things. People use it to play video games for fun. It also helps with learning. Doctors and pilots use it for training.

Some tools use haptic technology. This is a way to give you the sense of touch. It lets you feel things in the digital world. You can even use a special treadmill to walk in any direction.

Virtual reality, or VR, is a way to experience a simulated world. It uses computer software to make you feel like you are actually there. You can look around and move within this artificial place. You can even interact with items inside the virtual world. This technology is part of a scale called the reality-virtuality continuum. It is different from augmented reality, which adds digital images to your real surroundings.

Most people use a VR headset to enter these worlds. A headset usually has two small, high-resolution screens in front of your eyes. These screens show separate images to each eye to create 3D graphics. This is called stereoscopic rendering. The system also uses head tracking to follow your movements. Some systems use haptic technology to give you a sense of touch. You might even use an omnidirectional treadmill to walk in any direction.

People have been dreaming of these worlds for a long time. In 1962, Morton Heilig built a mechanical device called the Sensorama. It could show sights, sounds, smells, and even air breezes. In 1968, Ivan Sutherland created the first head-mounted display. It was called The Sword of Damocles because it was so heavy. It had to be hung from the ceiling to work. This early device used simple wire-frame models for its graphics.

Many scientists and inventors helped build the VR we know today. In 1984, Jaron Lanier started a company called VPL Research. He helped make the term "virtual reality" popular in the late 1980s. His company made tools like the DataGlove. In 1985, Scott Fisher helped design the VIEW system for NASA. This system used an optical system called LEEP to create depth. Other important projects include the Aspen Movie Map from MIT in 1978.

Today, VR is used for much more than just fun. Many people use it for video games and entertainment. It is also a great tool for education and training. Doctors, soldiers, and pilots use it to practice hard jobs safely. For example, researchers use it to train astronauts for lunar habitats. Some systems even let people drive Mars rovers from Earth. This helps people feel like they are in a different place.

Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that uses computer technology to create an immersive environment. It employs 3D head-mounted displays and pose tracking to give a user the feeling of being inside a virtual world. This technology allows a person to look around, move, and interact with digital items. VR is a key part of the reality-virtuality continuum. This continuum is a scale that connects the real world to purely digital spaces. It is distinct from augmented reality (AR), which blends digital content with a user's real surroundings.

To create this sense of presence, VR systems use specific mechanical and digital processes. A common method involves a head-mounted display (HMD). This device typically contains two small, high-resolution OLED or LCD monitors. These screens provide separate images to each eye, a process called stereoscopic graphics rendering. This technique creates the illusion of a three-dimensional world. The system also uses positional and rotational real-time head tracking. This allows the computer to follow the user's six degrees of movement.

Beyond just sight, VR can engage many senses to deepen immersion. Many systems incorporate binaural audio to provide realistic sound. Some systems also use haptic technology. Haptic technology provides sensory and force feedback, allowing users to feel digital objects. For physical movement, some setups use an omnidirectional treadmill. This device allows a user to perform locomotive motion in any direction. Other methods include projector-based VR, which uses multiple large screens in a room. This can be used for complex tasks like airplane simulation or robot navigation.

The history of VR involves many different visions of simulated reality. In the 1950s, Morton Heilig envisioned an "Experience Theatre." In 1962, he built the Sensorama, a mechanical device. It engaged sight, sound, smell, and touch through short films. In 1968, Harvard Professor Ivan Sutherland created The Sword of Damocles. This was the first head-mounted display system for immersive simulation. It was so heavy that it had to be suspended from the ceiling. The graphics were simple wire-frame model rooms.

As computing evolved, the field moved toward digital systems. In 1978, MIT created the Aspen Movie Map, a crude virtual tour. By 1985, Scott Fisher helped design the VIEW system for NASA. This installation used the LEEP optical system to create a convincing sense of depth. In the late 1980s, Jaron Lanier popularized the term "virtual reality." His company, VPL Research, developed early hardware like the DataGlove. Mattel even licensed this technology to create the Power Glove in 1989.

The 1990s brought more widespread commercial interest in the technology. In 1991, Virtuality launched the first mass-produced, networked, multiplayer VR entertainment system. These systems could cost up to $73,000 per multi-pod unit. They featured headsets and exoskeleton gloves for immersion. In 1990, researchers created the Cave automatic virtual environment (CAVE). This was a cubic immersive room using a multi-projected environment. It allowed people to see their own bodies in relation to others.

Today, VR has many important applications across different industries. It is widely used for entertainment and video games. However, it is also vital for education and professional training. Medical, safety, and military professionals use it to practice difficult tasks. For example, European Space Agency researchers use VR to train astronauts. They practice extinguishing fires inside a lunar habitat. NASA scientists have even used VR to "drive" Mars rovers from Earth. This helps overcome the substantial delays in communication between planets.