A New Reality

Virtual reality, also known as immersive multimedia or computer-simulated reality, is a make-believe environment based on the real world or a fictional world. A person who uses this media is allowed to interact in a certain world in which a person’s senses including sight, touch, hearing, and smell are stimulated to create sensory experiences. This technology continues to grow because of different experiences that it brings to a user without the expense of convenience. It also takes advantage of people’s constant need to feel awed and stimulated in new and different ways.

3D cinema is perhaps the most accessible virtual reality technology that people could get their hands on. Other than that, we often see the use of virtual realities in the science-fiction (sci-fi) genre. In some films and TV shows, virtual realities are used in distant future settings like the movie “Avatar,” or plots that feature spies and government intelligence like “Mission Impossible.”

Many people, however, do not realize that the use of virtual realities is actually happening around us. In fact, virtual realities are making their way into different fields other than entertainment and military. Many IT companies are working on their own virtual reality technologies to avoid being left behind.

There are a variety of ways people could experience virtual reality. People could enjoy through their computer screens or through High Definition Virtual Reality (HDVR) special stereoscopic displays. Stereoscopic displays allow creation and enhancement of depth perception, the visual ability of humans to perceive the world in three dimensons (3D), also referred to as depth sensation when it comes to animals. Stereoscopic displays have additional features that make it possible for users to enjoy real-life sounds through earphones or speakers.

Other devices that are more advanced now have an ability to send tactile information which is technically referred to as force feedback. Force feedback uses haptic communication that is transmitted from a device to the user by applying forces, vibrations, or motions. This ability enhances virtual experiences in medical, gaming, and military applications. Aside from experiencing lifelike environments, people who are in different places may also communicate with each other through “telepresence” and “telexistence.” Telepresence gives an illusion that a person is physically present in a communication event. In contrast, telexistence gives an illusion that a person is in a different place.

Besides the popularity of virtual reality in military and entertainment, many people see its usefulness in education and training because of the benefits it could bring to diverse learners. Although it is not a change that is widely welcomed, many people see the future of education alongside the evolution of virtual reality.

There is also little doubt that even common people would be able to have access to the various forms of virtual realities in the near future. Many people, especially techie ones, look forward to this breakthrough in technology.