ABSTRACT
Virtual realities are a set of emerging electronic technologies, with applications in a wide range of fields. This includes education, training, athletics, industrial design, architecture and landscape architecture, urban planning, space exploration, medicine and rehabilitation, entertainment, and model building and research in many fields of science (Aukstalnis, & Blatner, 1992; Earnshaw, Vince, Guedj, & Van Dam, 2001; Hamit, 1993; Helsel, 1992a, 1992b, 1992c; Helsel & Roth, 1991; Hillis, 1999; Mayr, 2001; Middleton, 1992; Pimentel & Teixiera, 1992; Rheingold, 1991; Vince, 1998). Virtual reality (VR) can be defined as a class of computer-controlled multisensory communication technologies that allow more intuitive interactions with data and involve human senses in new ways. Virtual reality can also be defined as an environment created by the computer in which the user feels present (Jacobson, 1993a). This technology was devised to enable people to deal with information more easily. VR provides a different way to see and experience information, one that is dynamic and immediate. It is also a tool for modelbuilding and problem solving. VR is potentially a tool for experiential learning. The virtual world is interactive; it responds to the user’s actions. Virtual reality evokes a feeling of immersion, a perceptual and psychological sense of being in the digital environment presented to the senses. The sense of presence or immersion is a critical feature distinguishing virtual reality from other types of computer applications. An excellent extensive set of web links for companies involved with the production of virtual reality technologies, applications, and consulting services is available at https://www.cyberedge.com/4f.html.
