Introduction
Virtualrealitytechnologyhasvirtualitybeyondreality.Itisanewcomputertechnologydevelopedwithmultimediatechnology.Itusesthree-dimensionalgraphicsgenerationtechnology,multi-sensorinteractiontechnologyandhigh-resolutiondisplaytechnologytogenerateathree-dimensionalrealisticvirtualenvironment.Usersneedspecialinteractiveequipmenttoenterthevirtualenvironment..Thisisabrand-newcomprehensiveinformationtechnology,whichintegratesdigitalimageprocessing,computergraphics,multimediatechnology,sensortechnologyandotherbranchesofinformationtechnology,thusgreatlypromotingthedevelopmentofcomputertechnology.Oneofitsmainfunctionsistogenerategraphicsinthevirtualrealm,soitisalsocalledagraphicsworkstation.Atpresent,themostwidelyusedworkstationsinthisfieldarededicatedworkstationsproducedbymanufacturerssuchasSGIandSUN.However,recentmicrocomputergraphicsworkstationsbasedonIntelPentiumIII(IV)generationchipsandgraphicsacceleratorcardshaveexcellentperformance-to-priceratios,andmaysuddenlyemerge.Imagedisplayequipmentisakeyperipheralusedtoproducestereoscopicvisualeffects.Commonproductscurrentlyincludelightvalveglasses,three-dimensionalprojectors,andhead-mounteddisplays.Amongthem,high-endhead-mounteddisplaysprovidehigh-resolution,largefieldofviewvirtualsceneswhileshieldingtherealworld,andareequippedwithstereoheadsets,whichcangivepeopleastrongsenseofimmersion.Otherperipheralsaremainlyusedtoimplementinteractivefunctionswithvirtualreality,includingdatagloves,three-dimensionalmice,motiontrackers,forcefeedbackdevices,voicerecognitionandsynthesissystems,andsoon.Theapplicationprospectofvirtualrealitytechnologyisverybroad.Itstartedwiththeneedsofthemilitaryandaerospacefields,butinrecentyears,theapplicationofvirtualrealitytechnologyhasmadestridesintoindustry,architecturaldesign,educationandtraining,cultureandentertainment.Itischangingourlives.
Thetwowordsvirtualandrealityhavecontradictorymeanings.Puttingthesetwowordstogetherseemsmeaningless,butthedevelopmentofscienceandtechnologyhasgivenitnewmeanings.Thecleardefinitionofvirtualrealityisnoteasytosay.AccordingtoJ.Laniar,thescholarwhofirstproposedtheconceptofvirtualreality,virtualreality,alsoknownasimaginaryreality,means"artificialworldsynthesizedbyelectroniccomputers."Itcanbeclearlyseenfromthisthatthisfieldhasaninseparableandcloserelationshipwithcomputers,andinformationscienceisthebasicpremiseofthesynthesisofvirtualreality.
Mainfeatures
Multi-sensory(Multi-Sensory)-theso-calledmulti-sensoryreferstoInadditiontovisualperception,thereareauditoryperception,forceperception,touchperception,movementperception,andeventasteperceptionandsmellperception.Theidealvirtualrealitytechnologyshouldhaveallhumanperceptionfunctions.Duetothelimitationsofrelatedtechnologies,especiallysensingtechnologies,thecurrentperceptionfunctionsofvirtualrealitytechnologyarelimitedtovisual,auditory,force,tactile,andsports.
Immersion(Immersion)-alsoknownasthesenseofpresenceorpresence,referstothedegreeofrealitythattheuserfeelsastheprotagonistinthesimulatedenvironment.Theidealsimulationenvironmentshouldmakeitdifficultforuserstodistinguishbetweentrueandfalse,sothatuserscandevotethemselvestothethree-dimensionalvirtualenvironmentcreatedbythecomputer.Everythingintheenvironmentlooksreal,soundsreal,andmovesreal,evenAllfeelingssuchassmellandtastearereal,justlikethefeelingintherealworld.
Interactivity(Interactivity)-referstotheuser’sabilitytomanipulateobjectsinthesimulatedenvironmentandthenaturaldegreeoffeedbackfromtheenvironment(includingreal-timesex).Forexample,theusercandirectlygrabavirtualobjectinthesimulatedenvironmentwithhishand.Atthistime,thehandhasthefeelingofholdingsomething,andcanfeeltheweightoftheobject,andthegraspedobjectinthefieldofviewcanimmediatelymovewiththemovementofthehand.
Conception(Imagination)-alsoknownasautonomy-emphasizesthatvirtualrealitytechnologyshouldhaveabroadimaginablespace,whichcanbroadenhumanityThescopeofcognitioncannotonlyreproducetherealenvironment,butalsofreelyconceivetheobjectivelynon-existentorevenimpossibleenvironment.
Generallyspeaking,acompletevirtualrealitysystemconsistsofavirtualenvironment,avirtualenvironmentprocessorwithahigh-performancecomputerasthecore,avisualsystemwithahead-mounteddisplayasthecore,speechrecognition,soundsynthesisandsoundPositioningisthecoreauditorysystem,thebodypositiontrackingdevicewithpositiontracker,datagloveanddatasuitasthemainbody,aswellasfunctionalunitssuchastaste,smell,touchandforcefeedbacksystem.
Problems
Togeneratevirtualreality,therearethreemainproblemsthatneedtobesolved:
①
Thetechnologyexistsintheformoffakereality.Thatis,howtosynthesizetheinputinformationthatisconsistentwiththeactualexistencefortheobserver'ssensoryorgans,thatis,howtoproducethesamevision,touch,smell,etc.asintherealenvironment.
②
Interaction.Howdoobserversactivelyandactivelyoperatevirtualrealitytorealizedifferentviewpointsandhigher-levelsensoryinformation?Infact,howcanweseemorelike,hearmoretruthfully,andsoon.
③
Therealityofself-discipline.Howdothesensersgetalifelikesenseofrealitywithoutbeingawareoftheiractionsandbehaviors?Here,theobserver,sensor,computersimulationsystemanddisplaysystemconstituteaninteractiveclosed-loopprocess.
Keytechnology
Virtualrealityisasynthesisofmultipletechnologies.Itskeytechnologiesandresearchcontentincludethefollowingaspects:
1.Environmentalmodelingtechnology
Themodelingofthevirtualenvironment,thepurposeistoobtainthethree-dimensionaldataoftheactualthree-dimensionalenvironment,andaccordingtotheneedsoftheapplication,usetheobtainedthree-dimensionaldatatoestablishthecorrespondingvirtualenvironmentmodel.
2.Stereosynthesisandstereodisplaytechnology
Inthevirtualrealitysystem,thecorrelationbetweenthedirectionofthesoundandthemovementoftheuser'sheadiseliminated,andthestereographicsaregeneratedinrealtimeincomplexscenes..
3.Tactilefeedbacktechnology
Inthevirtualrealitysystem,theusercandirectlymanipulatethevirtualobjectandfeelthereactionforceofthevirtualobject,therebycreatinganimmersivefeeling.
4.Interactivetechnology
Thehuman-computerinteractioninvirtualrealitygoesfarbeyondthetraditionalmodeofkeyboardandmouse.Itusesdigitalhelmets,digitalglovesandothercomplexsensordevicestoachievethree-dimensionalinteraction.Technology,voicerecognitionandvoiceinputtechnologyhavebecomeimportantmeansofhuman-computerinteraction.
5.Systemintegrationtechnology
Becausethevirtualrealitysystemincludesalargeamountofperceptioninformationandmodels,thesystemintegrationtechnologyisthemostimportantthing:includinginformationsynchronizationtechnology,modelcalibrationTechnology,dataconversiontechnology,recognitionandsynthesistechnology,etc.
Virtualrealityistoconstructarealisticmodelinacomputer.Peoplecaninteractwiththemodelandgeneratethesamefeedbackinformationasintherealworld,sothatpeoplecangetthesamefeelingsasintherealworld.Whenpeopleneedtoconstructanenvironmentthatdoesnotcurrentlyexist(reasonablevirtualreality),anenvironmentthathumanscannotreach(exaggeratedvirtualreality),orconstructapurelyfictionalenvironment(virtualvirtualreality)toreplacetheexpensiverealenvironment,theycanuseitvirtualrealitytechnology.
Inordertoachievethesamefeelingasintherealworld,itisnecessarytohavetechnologythatcanrealizevariousfeelings.Intherealworld,peoplerealizevision,touch(force),smellandotherfunctionsthroughtheeyes,ears,fingers,noseandotherorgans.Peopleseethecolorfulexternalenvironmentthroughvision,perceivethecolorfulaudioworldthroughhearing,understandtheshapeandcharacteristicsofobjectsthroughtouch,andknowthesurroundingsmellthroughsmell.Inshort,throughavarietyoffeelings,wecaninteractwiththeobjectiverealworld(communication),sothatweareimmersedinthesameenvironmentastherealworld.
Here,itistheeasiesttorealizethesenseofhearing;therealizationofvisionisthemostbasic,indispensableandmostcommonlyused;realizationofthesenseoftouchisonlyneededundercertaincircumstances,andisnowbeingperfected;therealizationofsmellisstilljustbeginning.80%-90%oftheinformationthatpeopleobtainfromtheoutsideworldcomesfromvision.Therefore,inthevirtualenvironment,achievingthesamevisualexperienceasintherealenvironmentisveryimportantforobtainingasenseofrealismandimmersion.
Thedifferencebetweenvirtualrealityandnormalimagedisplayisthatthedisplayedimageisrequiredtochangewiththechangeoftheobserver'seyeposition.Inaddition,itisrequiredtogenerateimagesquicklytogetasenseofreal-time.Forexample,real-timeisnotrequiredwhenmakingananimation.Inordertoensurethequality,thereisnorestrictiononhowlongittakesforeachpicturetobegenerated.Thepicturegeneratedinvirtualrealityisusually30framespersecond.Withsuchimagegenerationcapabilities,coupledwithappropriatesoundeffects,youcanmakepeoplefeelimmersive.
Virtualrealitysystemsthatcanprovidevisualandauditoryeffectshavebeenusedinvarioussimulationsystems.Inurbanplanning,suchasystemisplayingahugerole.Forexample,manycitieshavetheirownshort-term,medium-termandlong-termplans.Inplanning,itisnecessarytoconsiderwhethereachbuildingisinharmonyandcompatibilitywiththesurroundingenvironment,andwhetherthenewbuildingisinharmonywiththesurroundingoriginalbuildings,soasnottocausethebuildingtobebuilt,itisdiscoveredthatitdestroystheoriginalstyleandreasonablelayoutofthecity.
Suchasimulationsystemcanalsobeusedtoprotectculturalrelicsandreproduceancientbuildings.Theuseofvirtualrealitytechnologytodisplaypreciousculturalrelicsforpeopletovisitisconducivetotheprotectionofrealancientculturalrelics.TheConfuciusMuseuminQufu,Shandongdidjustthat.ItalsomadetheDachengHallintoamodel,andtheaudiencecanbrowsethroughthecomputertodozensofhollowcarvedPanlongstonepillars,andtheycanalsogoaroundbehindtheDachengHallforatour.
Thesimulationsystemofreservoirsandriversandlakesestablishedwithvirtualrealitytechnologycanmakepeoplemorevisible.Forexample,afterbuildingamodeloftheThreeGorgesReservoir,youcanintuitivelyseethespectacularsceneafterthecompletionofthereservoirbeforeitisbuilt.Whichvillagesandfarmlandwillbefloodedfirstafterthewaterisstored,andwhichculturalrelicswillbeflooded,sothattheproblemcanbesolvedproactivelyandpromptly.Ifafloodcontrolsimulationsystemisestablishedinacertainarea,itcansimulatewhichdikesectionswillbeindangerwhenthewaterlevelreachesthecordon,andwhichareaswillbefloodedintheeventofabreach.Thisisofgreathelptotheformulationofemergencyplans.
Theextensiveuseofvirtualrealityhasbroughtcomputerapplicationstoanewlevel,anditsroleandsignificanceareobvious.Inaddition,itsroleandsignificancecanalsobeviewedfromahigherlevel.Thefirstisconceptually,ithaschangedfrom"computerasthemainbody"to"peopleasthemainbody".Thesecondistomakepeoplefurtherunderstandtherelationshipbetween"virtual"and"real"inphilosophy.
Inthepast,thehuman-machineinterface(thecommunicationbetweenhumansandcomputers)requiredpeopletoadapttocomputers,butafterusingvirtualrealitytechnology,peopledonotneedtorealizethattheyaredealingwithcomputers,butcanbelikeinthedailyenvironmentCommunicatewiththecomputerinthesamewayasyoudealwiththings.Thisfreespeoplefromthecomplicatedworkofoperatingcomputers.Today,wheninformationtechnologyisbecomingincreasinglycomplexandwidelyused,itisofgreatsignificancetogivefullplaytothepotentialofinformationtechnology.
Therelationshipbetweenvirtualandrealisanancientphilosophicalproposition.Whetherweareintherealobjectiveworldorjustintheworldofourownperceptionhasalwaysbeenthefocusofdebatebetweenmaterialismandidealism.Takingvisionasanexample,everythingweseeisjustanimageontheretina.Inthepast,theimagesontheretinawereallreflectionsoftherealworld,sotheobjectiverealworldwasconsistentwiththesubjectivesensoryworld.Now,virtualrealityhasledtoduality.Thesceneofvirtualrealityisarealexistenceforhumansenses,butitisindeedafictionalthing.However,ifyouactaccordingtofiction,youwilloftengetthecorrectresult.Therefore,thephilosophicalissueofre-understandingtherelationshipbetween"virtual"and"real"hasbeentriggered.
Representativeequipment
IntheVRsystem,therearemanyinterestingspecialequipmentwithdifferentfunctions.Herearesomerepresentativeequipmenttointroduce.
BOOMremovabledisplay
Itisasemi-immersivevisualdisplaydevice.Wheninuse,theusercanconvenientlyplacethedisplayinfrontofhiseyesandquicklyremoveitwhennotinuse.BOOMusesasmallcathoderaytube,thenumberofpixelsproducedismuchsmallerthantheLCDscreen,theimageisrelativelysoft,theresolutionis1280×1024pixels,andthecolorimage.
DataGlove:DataGlove
Aninputdevicethatcanconverthumanhandmovementsintocomputerinputsignals.Itismadeofverylightelasticmaterial.Theelasticmaterialistightlyattachedtothehand,whileattachingmanypositionanddirectionsensorsandopticalfiberwirestodetectthemovementofthehand.Theopticalfibercanmeasurethebendingandextensionofeachfinger,andthroughphotoelectricconversion,thefinger'smovementinformationcanberecognizedbythecomputer.
TELETACTglove
Itisadevicefortactileandforcefeedback,usingasmallairbagtoprovidetactileandforcestimulationtothehand.Thesesmallairbagscanbequicklypressurizedanddecompressed.Whenthevirtualhandtouchesavirtualobject,theforcemodeoftheobjectstoredinthecomputeriscalled,andthecompressorquicklyinflatesordeflatestheairbag,sothatthehandhasaveryprecisetactilesensation.
Datasuit
AninputdevicedesignedtoallowtheVRsystemtorecognizethemovementofthewholebody.Thedatasuitmeasuresabout50differentjointsofthehumanbody,includingknees,arms,torsoandfeet.Throughphotoelectricconversion,thebody'smovementinformationisrecognizedbythecomputer.InteractivedatasuitwithvirtualrealitythroughBOOMdisplayanddataglove.
Classificationofvirtualrealitytechnology
Desktopvirtualreality
Desktopvirtualrealityusespersonalcomputersandlow-levelworkstationsforsimulation,andthecomputerscreenisusedastheuserObserveawindowinthevirtualrealm.Variousexternaldevicesaregenerallyusedtocontrolthevirtualrealmandhelpmanipulatevariousobjectsinthevirtualscene.Theseexternaldevicesincludemice,trackingballs,momentballs,etc.Itrequiresparticipantstouseapositiontrackerandanotherhand-controlledinputdevice,suchasamouse,trackingball,etc.,sitinfrontofthemonitor,observethevirtualrealmwithina360-degreerangethroughthecomputerscreen,andmanipulatetheobjectsinit.Participantsarenotfullyengaged,becauseitwillstillbedisturbedbythesurroundingreality.Thebiggestfeatureofdesktop-levelvirtualrealityisthelackoffullyinvestedfunctions,butthecostisrelativelylow,soithasawiderrangeofapplications.Commondesktopvirtualrealitytechnologiesare:
Virtualrealitytechnologybasedonstaticimages:Thistechnologydoesnotusethetraditionalmethodofusingcomputerstogenerateimages,butusescontinuouslyshotimagesandvideos,whicharestitchedinthecomputerWiththeestablishedreal-worldvirtualspace,thisenableshighlycomplexandhighlyrealisticvirtualscenestobeobtainedatasmallcomputationalcost,therebymakingitpossibleforvirtualrealitytechnologytobeimplementedonthePCplatform.
VRML(VirtualRealityModelingLanguage):ItisapromisingtechnologyappliedontheInternet.Itusesadescriptivetextlanguagetodescribethemodelingofbasicthree-dimensionalobjects.Thesebasicthree-dimensionalshapesarecombinedintoavirtualscene.Whenthebrowserbrowsesthetextdescriptioninformation,itisinterpretedandexecutedlocallytogenerateavirtualthree-dimensionalscene.ThebiggestfeatureofVRMListhatitusestexttodescribethethree-dimensionalspace,whichgreatlyreducestheamountofdatatransmittedontheInternet,sothatthevirtualrealitythatrequiresalargeamountofdatacanberealizedontheInternet.
DesktopCADsystem:UseOpenGL,DirectDrawandotherdesktop3Dgraphicsrenderingtechnologytomodelthevirtualworld,observethroughthecomputermonitor,andhavefreelycontrollableviewpointsandperspectives.Thistechnologyisalsoakindofvirtualrealitytechnologyinasense.Itgeneratesthree-dimensionalmodelsthroughcomputercalculations.Thecomplexityofthemodelandtherealexperienceofthelimitationsofthedesktopcomputer'scomputingpower.
Involvedvirtualreality
Theadvancedvirtualrealitysystemprovidesfullyengagedfunctions,sothatusershaveafeelingofbeinginavirtualrealm.Ituseshelmet-mounteddisplaysorotherdevicestoclosetheparticipants'vision,hearingandothersenses,andprovidesanew,virtualsensoryspace,andusespositiontrackers,datagloves,otherhand-controlledinputdevices,sounds,etc.Itmakestheparticipantsfeelthattheyareinavirtualenvironmentandcanbefullyengagedandimmersedinit.Commonimmersivesystemsare:
Systemsbasedonhead-mounteddisplays:Inthissystem,participantsinthevirtualexperiencemustwearahead-mounteddisplay,andthevisualandauditorysensesareisolatedfromtheoutsideworld.Dependingontheapplication,Thesystemwillprovidestereovisionandthree-dimensionalspacethatcanfollowtherotationofthehead.Throughadvancedinterfacedevicessuchasvoicerecognition,datagloves,anddataclothing,participantscaninteractwiththevirtualworldinanaturalway,justliketherealworld.Thisiscurrentlythemostimmersivevirtualrealitysystem.
Projectionvirtualrealitysystem:Itallowsparticipantstoseetheirownimageinthevirtualrealmonascreen.Forthis,theyusethe"keycontrol"technologyinTVtechnologytoparticipateTheparticipantstandsagainstabackgroundofacertainsolidcolor(usuallyblue),thecamerasetupinfrontoftheparticipantcapturestheimageoftheparticipant,andtransmitstheimagedatatothebackgroundprocessingcomputerthroughtheconnectioncable,andthecomputerconnectstheimageoftheparticipantwiththeimageoftheparticipant.Thesolidcolorbackgroundisseparatedandreplacedwithavirtualspace.Thevideoprojectorconnectedtothecomputerprojectstheimageoftheparticipantandthevirtualrealmitselfontothescreenthattheparticipantiswatching,sothattheparticipantcanseehimselfinthevirtualspaceActivities.Participantscanalsointeractwiththevirtualspaceinrealtime.Thecomputercanrecognizetheparticipant’sactionsandchangethevirtualspaceaccordingtotheuser’sactions,suchasshootingavirtualballbackandforthorwalkingaround.Thesameinrealspace.
Remotepresencesystem:Theremotepresencesystemisasystemthatcombinesvirtualrealityandrobotcontroltechnology.Whenaparticipantinoneplacemanipulatesavirtualrealitysystem,theresultoccursinanotherplace.Participantsgetasenseofdepththroughastereoscopicdisplay,whichisconnectedtoaremotecamera;throughamotiontrackingandfeedbackdevice,theoperator'smovementistracked,andtheremotemotionprocess(suchasdamping,collision,etc.)isfedback,andtheactionistransmittedtotheremoteplaceFinish.
Virtualrealitywithaugmentedreality
Virtualrealitywithaugmentedrealitynotonlyusesvirtualrealitytechnologytosimulateandsimulatetherealworld,butalsousesittoenhanceparticipants’Feelingsintherealenvironment,thatis,feelingsthatarenotperceptibleorinconvenienttoperceiveinaugmentedreality.Atypicalexampleofthistypeofvirtualrealityisthehead-updisplayofafighterpilot.Itcanprojectinstrumentreadingsandweaponaimingdataonapenetratingscreeninstalledinfrontofthepilot.Itcansavethepilotfromreadingthedataontheinstrumentsinthecockpit.Soyoucanconcentrateonstaringattheenemy'saircraftandnavigationdeviation.
DistributedVirtualReality
Ifmultipleusersareconnectedthroughacomputernetworkandparticipateinavirtualspaceatthesametimetoexperiencethevirtualexperiencetogether,thenvirtualrealitywillbeelevatedtoahigherlevel.Realm,thisisthedistributedvirtualrealitysystem.Atpresent,themosttypicaldistributedvirtualrealitysystemsaretheCombatSimulationInternetandSIMNET,andtheCombatSimulationInternet(DSI)iscurrentlyoneofthelargestVRprojects.ThisprojectisastandardpromotedbytheU.S.DepartmentofDefensetoenablevarioussimulatorstobeinterconnectedonagiantnetwork.ItisaproductoftheSIMNETprogramproposedbytheDefenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgencyin1980.SIMNETismadeupoftanksimulators(Cabtype)connectedthroughanetworkforjointtrainingoftroops.ThroughSIMNET,thesimulatorlocatedinGermanycanruninthesamevirtualworldasthesimulatorlocatedintheUnitedStatesandparticipateinthesamecombatexercise.
Application
Asearlyasthe1970s,virtualrealitywasusedtotrainastronauts.Becausethisisacost-saving,safeandeffectivetrainingmethod,ithasnowbeenextendedtotraininginallwalksoflife.Atpresent,virtualrealityhasbeenextendedtodifferentfieldsandhasbeenwidelyused.
1.Intermsoftechnologydevelopment
Virtualrealitycanshortenthedevelopmentcycleandreducecosts.Forexample,atthebeginningof1998,Chryslerusedvirtualrealitytechnologytomakeabreakthroughinthedesignoftwonewtypesofcars.Forthefirsttime,thedesignednewcarwasputintotheproductionlinedirectlyfromthecomputerscreen,whichmeansthattheintermediatetrialproductionwascompletelyomitted.Thankstoitssuperiorvirtualrealitytechnology,Chrysleravoided1,500designerrors,saved8monthsofdevelopmenttimeand$80millionincosts.Theuseofvirtualrealitytechnologycanalsobeusedforcarcrashtests,whichcanshowtheconsequencesofcrashesunderdifferentconditionswithoutusingarealcar.
Invirtualrealitytechnology,togetherwiththeoreticalanalysisandscientificexperiments,ithasbecomethethreemajormeansformankindtoexplorethelawsoftheobjectiveworld.Useittodesignnewmaterials,youcanunderstandtheeffectofchangingthecompositiononthepropertiesofthematerialinadvance.Beforethematerialismanufactured,itisknownhowpartsmadeofthismaterialaredamagedunderdifferentstressconditions.
2.Commercially
Virtualrealityisoftenusedforpromotion.Forexample,whenbiddingforaconstructionproject,usingvirtualrealitytechnologytoexpressthedesignplancanbringtheownerintothefuturebuildingtovisit,suchastheheightofthedoor,theorientationofthewindows,theamountofdaylighting,andtheinteriordecoration,etc.,youcanfeelthesame.Itcanalsobeusedforthepromotionoftouristattractionsandproductswithmanyfunctionsanduses.Becauseusingvirtualrealitytechnologytoshowthecharmofthiskindofgoodsismoreattractivethanusingtextorpicturestopromoteit.
3.Medicaltreatment
Thereareroughlytwotypesofvirtualrealityapplications.Oneisthevirtualhumanbody,thatis,thedigitalhumanbody,whichmakesiteasierfordoctorstounderstandthestructureandfunctionsofthehumanbody.Theotherisavirtualsurgerysystem,whichcanbeusedtoguidetheoperation.
4.Military
Usingvirtualrealitytechnologytosimulatetheprocessofwarhasbecomethemostadvancedmethodofstudyingwarfareandtrainingcommandersinafastandcost-effectivemanner.Itisalsobecausevirtualrealitytechnologyhasreachedaveryhighlevel,soevenwithoutnucleartesting,nuclearweaponscanbecontinuouslyimproved.Warlaboratoriescanalsoplayahugeroleinverifyingpredeterminedplansforactualcombat.BeforethebeginningoftheGulfWarin1991,theU.S.militaryenteredthevariousnaturalenvironmentsintheGulfregionandvariousdataoftheIraqiarmyintothecomputer,andmadeapreliminarycombatplanaftersimulatingvariouscombatplans.Later,thedevelopmentofactualcombatwasquiteconsistentwiththeresultsofsimulationexperiments.
5.Entertainment
Applicationsarethebroadestuseofvirtualreality.AskisimulatorsoldintheUK.Theuserwearsaskisuit,stepsonasnowboard,slidaskistickinhishands,hasahelmet-mounteddisplayonhishead,andhassensorsonhishandsandfeet.Althoughinthesmallroom,aslongasyouaredoingvariousskiingactions,youcanseethemountains,valleys,andcliffsfullofsnowthroughthehelmet-mounteddisplay.Itfeelsthesameasskiinginthefield.
6.Education
(1)Virtualcampus
Virtualcampusistheearliestspecificapplicationofvirtualrealitytechnologyineducation,althoughmostvirtualcampusesonlyRealizethebrowsingfunctionofcampusscene,butthelivebrowsingmodeprovidedbyvirtualrealitytechnologyandthebrand-newmediaexpressionformallhaveverydistinctivecharacteristics.Asearlyas1996,TianjinUniversitydevelopedavirtualcampusontheSGIhardwareplatform,basedontheVRMLinternationalstandard,sothatthosewhohaveneverbeentoTianjinUniversitycanappreciatethefamousuniversityinmodernhistory.WiththeadventoftheInternetage,onlineeducationisdevelopingrapidly,especiallytodaywhenbroadbandtechnologywillbeappliedonalargescale.SomecollegesanduniversitiesinChinahavebeguntograduallypromoteandusethevirtualcampusmodel.
(2)Virtualteaching
Intermsofvirtualteaching,teachingsimulationcanbeusedfordemonstration,exploration,andgameteaching.Usesimplevirtualrealitytechnologytoexpressthestructureanddynamicsofcertainsystems(natural,physical,social),andprovidestudentswithanenvironmentforthemtoexperienceandobserve.Thekeytaskofestablishingteachingsimulationistocreateamodelofthesimulatedobject(realworld),thenuseacomputertodescribethismodel,andgenerateoutputthroughcalculations.Theseoutputscanreflectreal-worldbehaviortoacertainextent.TeachingsimulationisaveryvaluableCAImodel,whichiswidelyusedinteaching.Forexample,thegeologicalcrystallographylearningsystemdevelopedbyChinaUniversityofGeosciencesusesvirtualrealitytechnologytodemonstratetheirstructuralcharacteristics,whichisintuitiveandclear.
(3)Virtualtraining
Thecharacteristicsofvirtualrealitytechnologyaremoreprominentinvirtualtraining.Theimmersionandinteractivityofvirtualrealitytechnologyenablesstudentstoplayaroleinthevirtuallearningenvironmentanddevotethemselvestolearning,whichisveryconducivetostudents'skilltraining.Usingtheimmersivevirtualrealitysystem,youcandoavarietyofskilltraining,whichhasanextremelypowerfulroleinpromotingtheteachingofhighervocationalskills.TheTDS-JDlocomotivedrivingsimulationdevicedevelopedbySouthwestJiaotongUniversitycansimulatethewholeprocessoftrainstarting,running,speedregulationandstopping,andcanfeedbackimportantinformationduringtrainoperationtothedriver.Suchas
thecouplerforceoraccelerationofeachvehicle,thepressurewavetransmissionprocessofthetraintube,etc.,todealwithaccidentsunderspecialoperatingconditions,withacompleteevaluationoftrainingresultsandreasonablescoringstandards.ItisthefirsttousecomputerimagingandWindowsinterfaceinthecountry.Itisthesimulationdevicewiththehighestmarketshareinthedomesticmarket.Itcanorganizetrainsatwill,selectanylinesection,andcansimulateoperationundersceneconditionsorwithoutscenes.
7.Inindustry
Industrialsimulation,safetyproductionemergencydrills,three-dimensionalfactoryequipmentmanagement,virtualtraining,etc.areallapplicationsofvirtualrealitytechnologyinindustry.Thefollowingdescribestheindustrialapplicationofvirtualrealitytechnologyforseveraltypicalexamples.
(1)Petroleumindustry
Thethree-dimensionaldigitalsystemofthepetroleumindustryistheresultoftherapiddevelopmentofinformationtechnologyinrecentyears,thesharpincreaseinoildemandandthegradualdeepeningofeconomicinformationglobalization.Anewtechnologyhasemerged.Itisplayinganincreasinglyimportantroleininformationexchangeandmanagementdecision-makingintheenergyindustry.Usevirtualrealitytechnologytobuildavirtualsimulationtrainingsystemforenergysafetyoperations,andprovidemulti-persononlineinteractivetrainingfunctions.Theimplementationofcloseddemonstration,guide-styleguidedoperationandopenfreeoperationtrainingmodes,andthedevelopmentofavirtualsimulationtrainingsystemforenergysafetyoperationscaneffectivelysolvethecost,safetyandeffectivenessissuesofenergysafetyoperationtraining.
Buildacomprehensivethree-dimensionalsimulationinformationsystem,inwhichequipmentmanagement,pipelinemanagement,safetyemergencydrills,etc.arecarriedout,thethree-dimensionalenvironmentoftheworkareaisconstructed,andGISdataofaradiusof100kilometersaroundtheworkareaisadded,includingSatelliteimageryandDEMelevationdata,etc.Onthisbasis,equipmentandpipelinedataarecreatedtorealizeequipmentandpipelineinformationquery,measurementanalysis,flightcontrolandotheroperations.
(2)Aerospaceindustry
Airportenvironmentsimulation
ConverseEarthvirtualearthisusedtoconstructathree-dimensionalairportscene,andsuperimposesatelliteimages,elevationdata,andvectordataonit,UseConverseEarthEditortocreateathree-dimensionalmodeloftheairport,whichtrulyreproducestheapron,terminal,oildepot,airportandotherplaces.
Airportoperationandmaintenance
Realizeinformatizationmanagement,realize3Dmanagementofitems,seamlessconnectionbetweensystemfunctioninterfaceand3Dinterface,clickon3Dtoqueryinformation,clickon2DentryandlocationThree-dimensionalmodel;three-dimensionalvisualizationofaircraftdispatching,embeddingthedispatchingmoduleintothethree-dimensionalsystem,real-timeunderstandingofthecurrentaircraft'sstopstate,andperformingthree-dimensionalreal-timeperformance.GPStrackingdrivesthefueltruckandtheoperatortodynamicallychangebyreadingthereal-timepositioninformationfromthepositioningsystem.Ithasastrongthree-dimensionalperformanceeffect,whichisnotavailableinthetwo-dimensionalGPSmanagementsystem.
Integratedinformationmanagementandsafetyemergencydrillsforunloadingstations,oildepots,andairlinestations
Emergencysimulationdrills:providevirtualdrillscenarios:inavirtualenvironment,accordingtotheplan,Thedisastersiteanddisasterprocessaresimulatedandsimulated,andmulti-persononlinedrillsareprovided,andtheparticipantsareprovidedwithavividvirtualenvironmentforperformingvariousemergencyrescuetasksonthecomputer,andtheresultsofthedrillsareevaluatedtoachieveagoodtrainingeffect.
Intermsofprocesstraining:throughtheinterfacesimulation,operationsimulation,anddatasimulationoftheprocessflow,itprovidesthetraineeswithadynamicdemonstrationtrainingenvironmentofthefuelsupplyprocessflowonthecomputer.
(3)Powerindustry
Thethree-dimensionalpowertransmissionnetworkinformationsystemadoptstheideaof3DGISfusionVR,andusesdigitalterrainmodelsandhigh-resolutionremotesensingimagestobuildabasicthree-dimensionalscenethatcantrulyreproducetheterrain,Landform,usingthecreationofathree-dimensionalmodeltoreproducethesurroundingenvironmentofthetransmissionnetwork,substation,transmissionline,andthespacemodelofthegroundfeatures.Thepowerequipmentcanreproducethescenestatusinvirtualrealitythroughthesensor,andrealizethe3Dqueryfunctionatthesametime.The2Dwebpageandthe3Dscenecanbeseamlesslyconnectedtorealizetheintegratedmanagementofthetwoandthreedimensions,andprovidetheleadersandstaffwithall-round,multi-dimensionalandthree-dimensionalSupportfordecision-makingassistance,therebyreducingthetimerequiredtodealwithaccidentsandreducingeconomiclosses.
Thesystemimplementsvariousanalysisfunctions,suchaspoweroutagerangeanalysisandoptimalpathanalysis.Whenapoweroutageoccurs,thesystemcanquicklycalculatetheimagerange,plotthelocationoftheaccidentandtheoptimalrouteforemergencyrepairs.Whenafireoccurs,drawthescopeofthefireandtheextentoftheimagetotheimportantequipment,andrecommendthebestrescuemethod.
8.Now
Virtualrealitytechnologynotonlycreatesvirtualscenes,butalsocreatesvirtualhosts,virtualsingers,andvirtualactors.ThesingerDiKilaunchedbytheJapaneseTVstationisnotonlycharmingbutalsocharming,whichhasattractedcountlessfans.Manystarfanswanttoseeher,forcingtheTVstationtoexplainthatsheisjustavirtualsinger.Disneyisalsopreparingtolaunchvirtualactors.Thiswillmakethe"actors"artisticyouthaliveandvigorousforever.Thepriceofstarpayisanotherreasonthatleadstotheuseofvirtualactors.Afterthevirtualactorbecomestheprotagonistofthemovie,themoviewillbecomeabranchofthesoftwareindustry.Softwarecompanieswilldevelopcountlessvirtualactorsoftwareforpeopletobuy.Ofcourse,intermsofhumorandhumantouch,avirtualactorcanneverbecomparedwitharealactorforalongtime,butitcanindeedbecomeanexcellentactor.Notlongago,theheroineinthegameshow"TombRaider"filmedbyacomputerwasselectedasaworld-renownedfigure,heraldingthecomingoftheeraofvirtualactors.
9.Prospects
Theprospectsforthedevelopmentofvirtualrealityareveryattractive,andthecombinationwiththecharacteristicsofnetworkcommunicationisevenmoredesirable.Inasense,itwillchangethewaypeoplethink,andevenchangepeople'sviewsontheworld,themselves,spaceandtime.Itisadevelopingnewtechnologywithfar-reachingpotentialapplications.Usingit,wecanbuildarealremoteclassroom,inwhichwecanstudy,discuss,andplaygameswithfriendsfromallovertheworld,justlikeinreallife.Usingnetworkcomputersandrelatedthree-dimensionalequipment,ourwork,life,andentertainmentwillbemoreinteresting.
Virtualrealityportrayspeople'slifefragmentsinthefuture,whichisverybeautiful.Fromthis,userscanalsousetheirrichimaginationtoplaywithsharksintheAtlanticOceaninfrontofourcomputer;visitthenaturalzoooftheAfricancontinent;feelthesmokeoftheancientbattlefieldandtheshadowofswordsandswords;andfeelthepastandthepresent;Youcanalsoexperiencethemajestyofthefoundingceremonyandtheloftyambitionoftheorientalgiantstandingup...
Virtualrealityinanime
Variousdevicesappearingin"SwordArtOnline"
"AcceleratedWorld"
Theentertainmentequipment"cocoon"in"DetectiveConan"2002theatricalversion