Introduction
What is Virtual Reality?
Introduction
It is not augmented reality….
Introduction
What is Virtual Reality?
“A high-end user-computer interface that involves
real-time simulation and interaction through
multiple sensorial channels.” (vision, sound, touch,
smell, taste)”
Introduction
http://games.yahoo.com/braingames/brain-teasers-games/phantom-square-255
Introduction
Sensorama Simulator, US Patent #3,050,870, 1962
VR Short History
1963+
Ivan Sutherland's doctoral theses:
SKETCHPAD: stereo HMD, position tracking,
and a graphics engine. 1966+
Tom Furness: display systems for pilots;
1967+
Brooks developed force feedback GROPE
system;
Introduction
Ivan Sutherland’s HMD
(1966+)
Introduction
Brooks’s Grope
Project (1977)
VR Short History
1977
Sandin and Sayre invent a bend-sensing
glove
1979
Raab et al: Polhemus tracking system
1989
Jaron Lanier (VPL) coins the term virtual
reality
1994 VR Society formed
Introduction
NASA … a pioneer in VR
The first complete system was
developed by NASA “Virtual
Visual Environmental Display”
(VIVED early 80s; they
prototyped the LCD HMD;
Became “Virtual Interface
Environment Workstation”
(VIEW) 1989
Introduction
NASA VIEW system (1992)
Introduction
Why NASA?
Large simulation and training needs;
Could not send humans to other planets;
Relatively small budgets.
Introduction
Towards Commercialization…
The first commercial VR systems
appeared in the late 80s produced by
VPL Co. (California):
The VPL “Data Glove” and
The VPL “Eye Phone” HMD
Introduction
The VPL DataGlove (1987) cost $8,500
Introduction
The Matel PowerGlove (1989)
The first commercial VR glove for entertainment –
Mattel Power Glove $50 (1989)
Early HMDs were massive
The Flight Helmet (ca. 1990) weighs 5 lbs
…and had poor resolution
Introduction
Virtual Reality in the early 90s….
Emergence of first commercial Toolkits:
WorldToolKit (Sense8 Co.);
VCToolkit (Division Ltd., UK);
Virtual Reality Toolkit VRT3 (Dimension Ltd./Superscape, UK);
Cyberspace Developer Kit (Autodesk)
Introduction
Superscape
VRT3
Development
System
Introduction
Virtual Reality in the early 90s….
Emergence of first non-commercial toolkits:
Rend386;
Later
Virtual Reality Modeling Language
(VRML 1.0);
Later still Java and Java 3D;
Introduction
Successor is AVRIL ("A Virtual
Scene created with Rend386 Reality Interface Library“)
C library for authoring. Created at
U. Waterloo, Canada
ece.uwaterloo.ca/~broehl/avril.html
Introduction
Virtual Reality in the early 90s….
PC boards still very slow (7,000 – 35,000
polygons/sec);
First turnkey VR system – Provision 100
(Division Ltd.)
Emergence of faster graphics rendering
architectures at UNC Chapel Hill:
“Pixel Planes”;
Later “Pixel Flow”;
Introduction
35,000 polygons/sec;
$26,000 (with two co-
processors)/card
Require up to 6 PC slots for
stereo version
Stride PC graphics accelerator
Introduction
35,000
polygons/sec;
$64,000 (including
texture generator,
tracker, 3-D audio,
HMD and
software)
Provision 100 VR turnkey system (Division Ltd., UK)
Introduction
~ 1 Million triangles/sec;
Pixel Planes 5 VR system (UNC)
Rendering speed comparison SGI vs. PCs
xBox 360
500 Million poly/sec
2005
Laboratory VR Station prices (2002)
PRODUCT Price/user % of Budget
2,347 48
PC 1.7 GHz
FireGL 2 accelerator
Polhemus 3D tracker 1,823 37
4 receivers
5DT sensing glove 482 10
five-sensor version
Stereo Glasses wired 179 3
Force feedback Joystick 88 2
Java and Java3D - -
VRML - -
Total 4,919 100
VR Market growth
The key elements of a conventional VR System
The key elements of a modern VR System
