The Use of Virtual Technology - Term Paper Example

Duke immersive virtual system The application of immersive digital interactions has received major boosts due to the emergence of technologies such as Duke immersive virtual system. there are several configurations of interactive displays including, single monitors, multi monotors, set ups, projection screens and head mounted displays. The latter being excusively used in the Duke immersive Virtual sysems. In this term paper I will describe the components, functionality, applications, methodology ans the advantages of the Duke Immersive virtual systems. Introduction The use of virtual technology has imprived vatious aspects of user perfomances in terms of spartial understanding, training, memorization and perception. The Duke immerssion virtual environment enables the users to experience three dimentional computer graphics applications from the first person perspective through the use of the six senses and nurtural techniques. The virtual environment utilizes interaction metaphors in a different manner to those of a traditional computer systems; for example, because the user has the freedom of walking and standing makes the more sense to point in the 3D space rather than using other interaction devices such as a mouse (Sheth, & Stabb 637). The Duke immersive Virtual Environment is composed of a fourth 6- sided CAVE like system. it was officially unveilled online in 2006 in the United States of America at the Duke University. The room is a cuboid representations with measurements of 3 meters in width, length and height. The room has a stererscopic rear projected room fitted with head, hand tracking and real time computer graphics. The six surfaces of the room; the floor, the four walls and the ceiling all function as the screens onto which the computer graphics are displayed. This technology offers a full immersive of the user into the virtual world enabling him or her to interact with the virtual objects (Sheth, & Stabb 649). The components The main components of virtual immersive systems are; depth of information; this component include the quality data and information whch are interchanged during simulations and interaction between the users and the DiVE systems. The depth of information includes everything about the immersive such as the quality of the video graphics, the quality of the audio and the resolution of the display units. breadth of information; this component consists of numerous sensory dimensions which are simultaneously presented. The virtual environment is ussually described as having a wide breadth of information if if simulates all the human sesnses of touch, taste, audio, visual, sound and smell. The DiVE system exploits majorly the visual and audio creating a good virtual environment for its users. The sense of touch is usually given more priority as it is the dominating factor of stimulation to humans through the use odf a special hardware called a wand. It exploits the principles of Baptic Sysems. In an effort to create a feling of full immersive, the DiVE system exploits Panoramic displays, Surround sound acoustics, Haptics and force feedbacks, Smell and taste replications. In the event that the senses of the user have reached levels of belief that the digital environment is real, the users are now able to intact with the DiVE system in a more nutural and intuitive means. The DiVE system responds appropriately with the users actions and movements while the Brain control Interface software responds briliantly ro the users nervous signalling. The functionality of the chamber The chamber is conventionally 3 meters by 3meters by 3 meters in measurements. Of the six surfaces; the four walls, the ceiling and the floor acts as the large screens. The DiVE system consists of seven computers which are syncronized to function as a unit. Six of the computers are dedicated to the six screen surfaces controlling the full coloured projectors for each screen. The seventh computer is known as the master computer which controls the entire system. the other input and out put devices used in the systems are stereoscopic glasses and the Hand Wand. The stereoscopic glasses are made of liquid crystalss which provides the depth of perception. These glasses are quite different from the 3-D glasses which have red and blue lenses, they are made of stereoscopic lenses hich are colourless enabling the users to perceive all the possible colours. The luquid crystals rotate making the lenses to alternate between transparency and opaqueness. This technology allows the eyes to fuse the three dimentional image appropriately and correctly hence eliminating the problems of ‘ghosting’ effects comon ehen video images double on the screen. For navigation purposes, the DiVE system has a wand. The wand tracks the movements of the users helping them to navigate the virtual landscapes and entire virtual world. The combination of the sterioscopic glasses and the wand enables the users to be immersed in a believable visual fiction. The software employed in the Duke immersive Virtual Environment are very powerful and facinating. The programs required include; Strong Al and Strong artificial intelligence. The Strong Al is a powerful software thar would be necessary in the processing of all the inputs and outputs from the central nervous systems, execute simulations of virtual realities and translate the events of the procss into a complete set of nerve impulses to the users. Artificial intelligence program is required for enabling a powerful alternate reality. Applications of Duke immersive Virtual Environment. Immersive virtual environment systems have been used for numerous disciplines. Specifically, this technology has been used to examine information in a tangible manner through multiple point of views. Duke Immersive Virtual Environment has been used in the military to train personelle, plan attacks and model protection protocols. The trainees are put into the cave with special war graphics enabling them to get a firsthand feeling of the battlegroung. Secondly it has been used in education and research institutes. For example, medical students can be taken into the journey of human anatomy through the system. This makes memorization and learning much easier and fun. DiVE is used in special healthcare scenarios where surgeons can simulate a parients condition on the system and device the appropriate procedure to treate such a condition. The other industries that apply the DiVE systems are entertainment, media, sport, archeology, construction, film, Business, Engineering and fashion. Short comings of Duke Immersive Virtual environments The Duke immersive Virtual environments despite its exciting prospects and applications has a number of problems (Bebis 394). The cost of developing and mantaining a system is very high. The price tag ranges between $ 1 million to $ 4 million. This is very expensive hence the reason why it is owned by established institutions such as universities and research institutes. Secondly the screen resolution of the various Duke immesive Virtual Environment are varied. The current DiVE resolution is 1.1 million pixels per screen which is quite low for this technology. Technically the best resolution for a DiVE system should be roughly 16.7 million pixels per screen.The DiVE systems are responsible for simulation sickness and motion sickness which leads to nausea and headaches. Conclusion The Duke immersive Visual Environment enables a room of sci- fi fantasy that once sealed, turns into a seamless virtual reality environment befiting research, design planning and education. This technology is quite unique and rear as it if found only in four universities in the Unites States of Ametica. The universities are; ofcource the Duke university, University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign and finally the University of Iowa. The scarsity of this technology has enhanced the coming together of researchers where they foster their awareness of each otheres works. This technology is a shared resource which excites the imagination of its users and at the same time brings them together in research. Work cited Bebis, George et al., Advances in Visual Computing : 6th International Symposium, ISVC 2010 Las Vegas, NV, USA, November/ December 2010 Proceedings, Part II, New York: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. 2010. Print. Sheth, P., Amit & Steffen, Stabb, The Semantic Web- ISWC 2008: New York; Springer Science and Bussiness Media, 2008. Print. Read More