You know that feeling when you wish you could be somewhere else, feeling something else at a somewhat different time? Well, VR technology is what makes it possible. VR, or virtual reality technology, is the only technology that can take you to another place and make you experience the virtual world as if it were real.
How Does It Work?
You can step into the VR world with the help of headphones, head-mounted displays and hand controllers. With all that gear set up, you’ll be ready for the total immersion!
The equipment used for virtual reality has a mix of interactive software and hardware, which has a role in creating an artificial environment and making it look as realistic as possible.
Let’s back it up a bit and explain what total immersion means. Total immersion is possible once the user starts interacting with the virtual environment as they would do in the real world. Essentially, once you completely forget that the experience is artificial and you start having a highly-realistic sensory experience, we can say that you’re taking part in the total immersion.
The beauty behind VR is that it can take you anywhere. VR can make you walk the streets of Paris, even when you’re on the other side of the world. In addition to that, virtual reality can create a non-existing world too. So if you wish to fight aliens or learn how to fly, that’s doable too!
Different Categories of VR Technology
At the moment, there are three separate virtual technology categories. The categories differ based on the level of immersion. There is a non-immersive, semi-immersive and fully immersive technology.
- Non-immersive — This category stands for the least immersive VR technology. That means that only a subset of your senses will be subject to stimuli. That way, you can get a taste of virtual reality, while remaining aware of the actual reality and your environment.
- Semi-immersive — Here, we’re talking about a slightly more immersive feeling. In a semi-immersive experience, you would only be partly immersed in a virtual environment. Still, you would be aware of your natural surroundings.
- Fully immersive — This is a category where VR is able to provide a highly-realistic experience and a totally immersive simulation meant to stimulate every single one of your senses.
What About the VR Equipment?
Let’s dig a little deeper into the process of how VR makes it possible to experience something that’s not physically there.
First off, thanks to the head-mounted display, you would be able to visualize the virtual environment in 3D. However, what’s mind-blowing is the fact that virtual reality can feel real, apart from looking real. This is what makes it more natural. Basically, handheld devices that can track your motion have what it takes to achieve the “feeling real” part.
All in all, the stimulation of all senses (visual, aural and haptic) is the VR’s recipe to feeling real in the world of unreal.
Final Thoughts
VR is growing and improving rapidly. Its time is yet to come. However, at the moment, it’s mostly used in the military and aviation training. And it’s proven to be highly reliable and efficient. So there are high hopes for this virtual reality technology, and we’re excited to see what the future has in store for us.
