Virtual Reality


This area is under construction by Luke Sheneman.


What is Virtual Reality?

Virtual Reality is an emerging technology which attempts to fully immerse the user in an interactive computer generated environment. The participant in a Virtual Reality experience interacts with the system via a series of sensors and sophisticated output devices. Input devices include data gloves which track hand positions and configurations to entire body suits which senses the entire orientation of the VR participant. Output devices include complex head mounted displays (HMD's) and surround-sound audio systems.

For more information about what Virtual Reality is all about, click on one of the following:

  • Virtual Reality Primer
  • Implementing Virtual Reality
  • Slice of Life In A Virtual Community
  • A Presentation By A British VR Company
  • The Ultimate Turing Test

  • Virtual Reality has a variety of practical uses:

  • VR can help handicapped individuals.
  • Click here for some more ideas about what Virtual Reality can and will do.

  • Virtual Reality is not simply a luxury for the wealthy. Many garage VR systems have been created by hackers, hobbiests, and Cyberpunks. In fact, many "hacks" have been created using old Nintendo "Power Gloves", PC's, and inexpensive, home-brewed, head mounted displays (HMDs).

    Click on the following document titles for more information about home-brew Virtual Reality.

  • A Homebrew Approach To VR
  • VR On Five Dollars A Day
  • Cyberterm: Cheap Multi-Platform Virtual Reality

  • There is a lot of documentation in Cyberspace about Virtual Reality. Click on any of the below documents to get more information about Virtual Reality:

  • I NEED MORE INFO!

  • The following USENET newsgroups are relevant to the topic of Virtual Reality:

  • sci.virtual-worlds
  • sci.virtual-worlds.apps
  • alt.uu.virtual-worlds.misc
  • alt.cyberspace
  • alt.cyberpunk
  • alt.cyberpunk.tech
  • alt.education.distance
  • comp.human-factors

  • sheneman@cs.uidaho.edu