Once inside that space, people could be transported to a different world, a substitute reality in which one could interact with objects, people, and environments, the appearance of which were bound only by the limits of the human imagination…A virtual environment (VE) is a digital space in which a user's movements are tracked and his or her surroundings rendered, or digitally composed and displayed to the senses, in accordance with those movements." (Fox et al
Virtual Reality in the Military There are many practical uses for virtual reality in the military and this technology is currently being used on a wide scale. These applications can be grouped into one of three different categories; virtual teams, remote control, and simulations (Bailey, 2011)
These applications can be grouped into one of three different categories; virtual teams, remote control, and simulations (Bailey, 2011). One such application that has received a tremendous amount of attention is known as smart weapons and remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) (Baumann, N
There are five basic categories of UAVs that are used: Target and decoy - providing ground and aerial gunnery a target that simulates an enemy aircraft or missile Reconnaissance - providing battlefield intelligence Combat - providing attack capability for high-risk missions Research and development - used to further develop UAV technologies to be integrated into field deployed UAV aircraft Civil and Commercial UAVs - UAVs specifically designed for civil and commercial applications. These vehicles are often piloted by remote control from over seven thousand miles away and can fire on the enemy through a series of commands that are entered into their computer control system (Bumiller, 2012)
However, the modern achievements in technology have opened up a flood of possibilities for virtual realities. For example, there are now head mounted displays that can project a simulated environment through a fully immersed experience, as well as arm mounted displays and a wide range of semi-immersion technologies that can also be used to develop a simulation (LaViola, 2010)
One of the most popular and wide spread VR applications is known as the cube in which a special projector surrounds the walls in a small room designed to its specifications with images. Figure 2 - A VR Cube (Sensen, 2007) Users can now interact with their virtual environment in a variety of ways as well
In 1960 a cinematographer named Morton Heilig built a console that allowed users to become more engulfed in a movie. The setup was equipped with fans, odor emitters, stereo speakers, and a chair that moved at certain times during the film to make the viewer feel more like they were actually experiencing the movie as if they were there (Strickland, 2012)