Virtual Reality Benjamin Lok EGN 1935 Lecture 11/14/2006

Outline What is (and isn’t) VR? What is (and isn’t) VR? Why do VR? Why do VR? Impact on Society Impact on Society Lessons Learned (Hype machine) Lessons Learned (Hype machine) So you want to get involved? So you want to get involved?

What is VR? Is it This? Is it This?

Virtual Reality Definition What is virtual reality? What is virtual reality? –Virtual –  being in essence or effect, but not in fact –Reality –  State or quality of being real  Something that exists independently of ideas concerning it –What was the first VR?

What was the first VR?

Progression Story telling Story telling –What did this rely on?  User’s imagination! Multi-sensory Multi-sensory –Images –Sounds Control Control –Events –View What do these things have in common? What do these things have in common? –Immersion

Ivan Sutherland’s The Ultimate Display “Don’t think of that thing as a screen, think of it as a window, a window through which one looks into a virtual world. The challenge to computer graphics is to make that virtual world look real, sound real, move and respond to interaction in real time, and even feel real.”

Key Elements of Virtual Reality Experience Virtual World - content of a given medium Virtual World - content of a given medium –screen play, script, etc. –actors performing the play allows us to experience the virtual world Immersion – sensation of being in an environment Immersion – sensation of being in an environment –mental immersion – suspension of disbelief –physical immersion – bodily entering the medium –Related to presence – (mentally immersed) the participant’s sensation of being in the virtual environment (Slater) Walking Experiment at UNC – Chapel Hill

Key Elements of Virtual Reality Experience Sensory Feedback – information about the virtual world is presented to the participant’s senses Sensory Feedback – information about the virtual world is presented to the participant’s senses –Visual (most common) –Audio –Touch Interactivity – the virtual world responds to the user’s actions. Interactivity – the virtual world responds to the user’s actions. –Computer makes this possible –Real-time Walking Experiment at UNC – Chapel Hill

Why VR? Experience Things that are Experience Things that are –Dangerous –Expensive –Logistically Difficult For For –Learning –Exploration –Training Get together and come up w/ an application Get together and come up w/ an application

Augmented Reality A combination of a real scene viewed by a user and a virtual scene generated by a computer that augments the scene with additional information. A combination of a real scene viewed by a user and a virtual scene generated by a computer that augments the scene with additional information. Ultrasound Visualization Research at UNC – Chapel Hill All Virtual ObjectsAll Real Objects

Telepresence –The use of various technologies to produce the effect of placing the user in another location. All Virtual ObjectsAll Real Objects

Artificial Reality (Myron Kruger) Responsive Environment Is an environment where human behavior is perceived by a computer which interprets what it observes and responds through intelligent visual and auditory displays Is an environment where human behavior is perceived by a computer which interprets what it observes and responds through intelligent visual and auditory displays All Virtual ObjectsAll Real Objects

Classical Simulation Classical simulation is a mix of real objects and computer generated stimuli. Classical simulation is a mix of real objects and computer generated stimuli. All Virtual ObjectsAll Real Objects

Virtual Reality Ideal for VR is that everything you experience is computer-generated. Ideal for VR is that everything you experience is computer-generated. All Virtual ObjectsAll Real Objects

Immersive Technology Head-mounted Display Head-mounted Display –Optical System –Image Source (CRT or LCD) –Mounting Apparatus –Earphones –Position Tracker

Immersive Technology Multi-screen Projection of stereoscopic images (CAVE) Multi-screen Projection of stereoscopic images (CAVE)

Immersive Technology Single large stereoscopic display Single large stereoscopic display –Projection-based –Head-tracked –Possible tracking of hands and arms. –Brings virtual objects into the physical world

Other Characteristics Head and body tracking implies that visual content is always computed and rendered in “real time” (10-60 frames/second). Head and body tracking implies that visual content is always computed and rendered in “real time” (10-60 frames/second). In virtual reality you have a sense of, and interact with, three-dimensional things as opposed to pictures or movies of things. In virtual reality you have a sense of, and interact with, three-dimensional things as opposed to pictures or movies of things.

User’s perspective Setting Setting Objects in world Objects in world Other participants Other participants Active/Passive Active/Passive –Factory Simulation –Architectural Walkthrough

Applications? Most current applications: Special Purpose Special Purpose Interaction simple and/or infrequent Interaction simple and/or infrequent Sidestep limitations of graphics and haptics Sidestep limitations of graphics and haptics A few expensive systems are sold to a few rich people A few expensive systems are sold to a few rich people

Entertainment

Design Visualization

Training (NASA)

Clinical Virtual Reality The direct use of VR as a tool in the treatment or assessment of psychological and physical disorders. Hunter Hoffman HITLab – University of Washington

Immersive Virtual Characters for Educating Medical Communication Skills J. Cendan, M. Cohen, A. Stevens, P. Wagner, D. S. Lind Department of Surgery (College of Medicine) Department of Surgery (College of Medicine) M. Duerson, R. Pualey Department of Community Health and Family Medicine (College of Medicine) Department of Community Health and Family Medicine (College of Medicine) K. Johnsen, A. Raij, B. Rossen R. Dickerson, B. Lok Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering (College of Engineering) R. Ferdig College of Education The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Societal Concerns Negative Training Transfer Race Studies

Lessons Learned (Hype Machine) Society Impact Society Impact –Promise –Actual Use it to talk to your grandmother in a virtual pagoda Use it to talk to your grandmother in a virtual pagoda Sound familiar? Sound familiar? –Buying cat food online Hard! Hard! Training Training What needs to be improved? What needs to be improved? –Interfaces? Graphics? Realism?

Skill Set “Oh I don’t want to program, I just want to create stuff” “Oh I don’t want to program, I just want to create stuff” Architect or Car analogy Architect or Car analogy Programming -> tool to create what is in your imagination Programming -> tool to create what is in your imagination Programming proficiency goal: be able to code anything that you imagine Programming proficiency goal: be able to code anything that you imagine To do what you saw before we use: To do what you saw before we use: –C/C++, OpenGL, many different libraries Math, math, and yet more math!!! Math, math, and yet more math!!! –Differential equations (simulations, physics engines), linear algebra (transforms, 3D manipulations), statistics

Graduate School Programming Team Lead at RockStar Games Programming Team Lead at RockStar Games –Worked on Midnight Club 2 Renderman Developer at Pixar Renderman Developer at Pixar –Worked on the Jellyfish of Nemo and The Incredibles Software Engineer for Interactive Media for Disney Software Engineer for Interactive Media for Disney –Worked on Toon Town, online capable titles Worked at 989 Sports, EA Sports, Freedom Force, etc. Worked at 989 Sports, EA Sports, Freedom Force, etc. What did they all have in common? What did they all have in common? –Published scientific journals in computer science –Graduate school in computer science –Worked on efficient collision detection, particle systems, curved surfaces, virtual reality, etc. –All had  GRE scores in the top 10%  Went to a top graduate school (admission is tough)  Strong math and science and coding  Why would a CS professor want to work with you?

Interested? Take the following… CAP4730 Computational Structures in Computer Graphics (Spring ‘07) CAP4730 Computational Structures in Computer Graphics (Spring ‘07) CAP4930/6930 Design and Creation of Virtual Environments (Spring ’07) CAP4930/6930 Design and Creation of Virtual Environments (Spring ’07) CAP4930/6930 Human-Computer Interaction (Fall ’08) CAP4930/6930 Human-Computer Interaction (Fall ’08) Computational Geometry Computational Geometry Computer Simulation Concepts Computer Simulation Concepts Aesthetic Computing Aesthetic Computing Digital Arts and Sciences Degree Digital Arts and Sciences Degree

Virtual Experiences Group PhD Students (6) PhD Students (6) –Kyle Johnsen –Aaron Kotranza –John Quarrels –Andrew Raij –Brent Rossen –Xiyong Wang Undergraduates (2) Undergraduates (2) –Harold Rodriguez –Joshua Horton Thank you! Questions?