Even though VR is continuing its rise in popularity and technological achievements there are still some problems that must be addressed before it can become the technology everyone is hoping it will be. The two videos below help to demonstrate one of the big problems that current VR users are facing on a daily basis.
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This problem is the fact that what users might see in from of them may not actually be there in real life. The opposite can also be true in which a user may not believe a real physical object is in front of them and walk (or run) into it. Engineers have already created some unique inventions, such as the Virtuix Omni and the Cyberith Virtualizer, that they believe will help to solve these spacial problems. These machines are being marketed as active virtual reality motion platforms that will increase the immersion felt when using a virtual reality headset.
Other options, like the ones shown below, take up less space inside a person's room and could have similar affects in increasing immersion. The video on the left displays a type of 3D mapping software that is used in the Microsoft Hololens. By taking this software and implementing it into machines such as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, etc. a user could potentially use the objects around as surfaces in the virtual world. Take this idea and apply it to the snooker video above. By virtually mapping the room the user is in, the game software could potentially map the snooker table onto the table in the real world. This would allow the user to lean over and rest his or her arm on the table both increasing the immersive experience as well as increasing safety while playing the game.
Another potential answer can be seen in Disney's research on using real world objects in conjunction with virtual reality simulations (shown in the bottom right video). In this research, Disney built sensors which were then attached to a tennis ball and used in a virtual reality experiment. Disney engineers created an environment in which they had control over whether the user saw the tennis ball, the trajectory of the tennis ball, or both the ball and its trajectory. The task was for the user to try and catch the physical ball while only being able to see some aspect of the virtual ball. After trials were completed, results showed that users could catch the real world tennis ball with a high rate of success no matter what the condition. In addition, it was shown that users were in position to catch the ball faster when they could only see the trajectory of the tennis ball. This type of haptic feedback could be very beneficial to users of the virtual reality technology in helping to stop some of the problems (as seen in the videos above). It is very disorienting when a VR user thinks that he or she will be coming into contact with an object only to then feel no resistance. This decreases the immersive qualities of the VR environment and causes disorientation in the user. By creating some form of haptic feedback, users would be able to have an increased level of immersion, decreased amount of disorientation. In addition, some form of haptic feedback could prevent some of the potentially dangerous situations as seen in the videos above.
Another potential answer can be seen in Disney's research on using real world objects in conjunction with virtual reality simulations (shown in the bottom right video). In this research, Disney built sensors which were then attached to a tennis ball and used in a virtual reality experiment. Disney engineers created an environment in which they had control over whether the user saw the tennis ball, the trajectory of the tennis ball, or both the ball and its trajectory. The task was for the user to try and catch the physical ball while only being able to see some aspect of the virtual ball. After trials were completed, results showed that users could catch the real world tennis ball with a high rate of success no matter what the condition. In addition, it was shown that users were in position to catch the ball faster when they could only see the trajectory of the tennis ball. This type of haptic feedback could be very beneficial to users of the virtual reality technology in helping to stop some of the problems (as seen in the videos above). It is very disorienting when a VR user thinks that he or she will be coming into contact with an object only to then feel no resistance. This decreases the immersive qualities of the VR environment and causes disorientation in the user. By creating some form of haptic feedback, users would be able to have an increased level of immersion, decreased amount of disorientation. In addition, some form of haptic feedback could prevent some of the potentially dangerous situations as seen in the videos above.
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