Virtual Reality – Let’s get the basics right!

The mind believes what the eyes see, but what if one could witness any part of the world while sitting in their home? This is possible because of Virtual Reality. As the name suggests, the technology creates a simulation of the real or imaginary world and subjects the user to a unique experience. It is often confused with Augmented Reality (AR), but the difference will be explained later in the article.

Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality – Headset

Virtual Reality is primarily created with the help of a head-mounted display. The first machine of its kind, known as Sensorama, was created by Morton Heilig so as to redefine the meaning of visuals for humans. Later, two engineers from Philco Corporation created an HMD that factored in the movement of each eye and head for enhanced user experience.

Currently, three versions of HMD’s – Standalone, Tethered, and Mobile – are used across the world developed by leading companies such as Oculus, Sony, Nintendo, Lenovo, and HTC. There are various parameters that help the customer decide the best VR headset according to their use.

Applications

A simulated reality has endless applications in the real world. However, here are the leading fields that employ the technology:-

Entertainment

From enjoying an evening in Paris to reviving your friend in the latest FPS game, the experiencing of gaming and entertainment has been redefined by the use of Virtual Reality.

Military

The United States has been known to use VR HMD’s in order to train soldiers for different, real-life situations and strengthen their focus.

Medicine

Medical universities are slowly using technology to help students perform virtual surgeries that help to improve their psyche and accuracy. Furthermore, by connecting the vision to a television screen, students can learn from senior doctors that use the simulation.

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality – The difference

Let’s settle this confusion with the basic difference between the two. Virtual Reality creates a simulation for the eyes that doesn’t involve the outside world. However, Augmented Reality uses visibility – User Interface, if you will – of the outside world. The best example of AR is Pokemon Go while console gaming defines Virtual Reality at its best.

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