Every Manager's Guide to Information Technology:Extract (9): Virtual Reality (VR)Computer folks love to use the word "virtual," which means apparent and contrasts with physical. Virtual reality creates an
This is the material of science fiction, where virtual reality has been made the basis for entire new modes of living, in stories that are part of the "cyberpunk" genre of science fiction. A lot of research work is being done and prototypes are in use that are very futurist in their aims and claims, bombarding the brain with images, color, and music. Virtual reality will certainly have a major impact on entertainment, although today's systems are blurred and slow; even with expensive computers driving them, providing a clarity and speed of image that truly creates a reality is not yet possible. That said, virtual reality is already providing benefits to a number of businesses. A Dutch system built for a construction company allows prospective buyers to "walk through" houses that have not yet been built and make changes to their design as they go; home sales immediately increased. Caterpillar uses VR for workers to "operate" controls of a backhoe loader as if they are using the real thing. Caterpillar claims that where it previously took six months to a year to build a prototype vehicle, designers can now get one into the lab in a week. Rolls-Royce is replacing models of submarines with virtual reality systems where engineers can "enter" a virtual sub and verify design features. Virtual reality is the next level in a well-established tradition: the use of simulation. As the Caterpillar and Rolls-Royce examples show, virtual reality replaces both physical models and designs that are displayed on a computer screen with as close to the real thing as the mind can imagine-or rather as it can be fooled into seeing. The main resistance to business use of VR is likely that it is seen as a new over-hyped computer game.
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illusion of being in a three-dimensional world. That world is created by the computer, and viewed through a special headset that responds to your head movements, while a glove responds to hand gestures. In a virtual room, you may, for instance, move your hand up in order to fly or tap to change the color of a wall.
