Creativity, immersion , sensitivity, fascination, interaction, technology or imagination are some of the many concepts that could best define what the virtual world supposes . The authentic revolution, capable of breaking the barriers of information, communication and entertainment, is represented by virtual reality projects and devices .
The 3D perception of simulated environments, by means of which the user can move in a matter of seconds to dream worlds, is what virtual reality supposes . The latter stands as a sensory tool that, in a more accurate way, will allow society to find and decipher some of the keys that will answer some of the anthropological questions that the human being has always considered.
This same Virtual Reality, of an increasingly growing influence in our society, comprises the human-machine interface, which will enable the user to immerse themselves in a 3D graphic simulation generated by a computer, navigating and interacting in it in real time. , from a perspective that is focused exclusively on the user.
Applications of virtual reality
All this synthetic experience pretends that the person replaces the physical reality by a fictitious environment created by a computer system. Beyond this type of simulations, these projects will capture the implicit will of the user in their natural movements, projecting them into the virtual world generated.
The reconstruction of the cultural heritage, the simulation of crowds, medicine and the sensation of presence are some of the many applications of this virtual reality .
Thus, for example, the recovery through the simulation of unique pieces of antiquity, which have been destroyed or have been completely degraded, is what is intended to be achieved through the reconstruction of the cultural heritage to which reference was made in previous lines. With this kind of projects you can show the piece in perfect condition in different places of the world at the same time, to the point that you can build complete museums with virtual pieces.
In the field of medicine , its application is represented in the virtual simulation of the human body, from whose images the 3D recreation of the patient can be made, a fact that will facilitate the elaboration of a diagnosis or, even, the simulation of operations in case it is necessary.
With regard to the application of virtual reality in the field of presence, simulating situations to induce behaviors in individuals to treat conditions such as phobias, social anxiety, conflict resolution or undertake studies of violence. For the simulation of crowds , the behavior of a large percentage of people will be reproduced, without requiring their presence, in especially complex situations such as the evacuation of a building.
The fundamental pillars of virtual reality
A virtual reality system , to be considered as such, must be based on three fundamental pillars. One of them is interactive simulation , which will differentiate virtual reality from a simple animation. In the latter case, the spectators are presented as passive subjects, in the sense that they can not alter the content of the contemplated images.
However, in a virtual reality system, the user can freely choose their movement through the scene, so their actions will directly affect the images they see. Similarly, in these cases, the user will have the ability to improvise their movement on the fly, without the need to establish a prior script, given that the virtual reality system will respond in real time to their actions.
Another of the fundamental ingredients of this system is what is known as implicit interaction. In this sense, the user’s will is captured, contained in their natural movements. A representative example can be found in the virtual camera, which will be updated depending on the movements of the user’s head. In the event that the latter wants to see the part of the virtual world behind him, it is not necessary to use any command, but simply to make the same natural gesture he would undertake in the real world.
The sensory immersion , meanwhile, is the third element in any system of virtual reality based. With this last reference is made to the disconnection of the senses from the real world and the connection with the virtual one. Of the different organs of the senses, the view is what gives us a greater amount of information, in addition to granting a greater sense of presence. The greater the number of stimulated senses, the higher the degree of immersion.
