Virtual Reality Therapy came into play started in 1992 before being finalized in 1995 by Dr. Max North in his VRT dissertation and later published a book in 1996 in the topic at hand. In his dissertation, North would attempt to cure his acrophobia, fear of heights. Such types of fear can cause panic attacks similar to that of post-traumatic stress disorder albeit slightly less severe. Through virtual reality, North tested to continually expose himself to the scenario of being at high heights. Every subsequent test, North reacted positive and started to adapt to the situation. This research had massive implications to solve psychological problems that may occur. VRT was later tested and sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. Now VRT is a common psychiatric treatment for anxiety and its uses continue to expand to areas such as addition, depression, and insomnia.
Simulation has crept its way into national defense as the United States military training attempts to incorporate more and more simulation. The request for simulation stems from generating likely scenarios without endangering their personnel. Military training is an expensive subject in more ways than one and simulation has helped push that end. Air Force pilots can pilot stealth fighters in simulations without the danger of crashing. Navy submarine officers can learn to navigate the complicated corridors of submarines, harbors, and ship channels without getting lost. Marines infantry can clear out homes in combat conditions. The applications of simulations can be applied to almost anything while maintaining a safe approach.
In 2001, a project known as Games-To-Teach surfaced between investigators Henry Jenkins, Director of Comparative Media Studies, and Randy Hinrichs, Group Research Manager for Learning Science and Technology. This movement developed a cooperation between MIT and Microsoft to develop serious games and conceptual prototypes. Their fields ranged from racing simulations to teach physics to training engineers in the event of a chemical attack within a subway in something known as Biohazard. The goal of games were to find a new medium of interaction to transfer knowledge to the player. The program lasted six years and Hinrich would later on begin his awarding winning company 2b3d and Jenkins wented to USC as a Professor in several fields while playing a significant role in advocating new media technologies in regards to education.
Motors have played a key part of our society and development as whole and will continue to drive our existence in the future as we face energy challenges. Development of motors and electric drives now come with the assistance of simulation to help make ideals into reality. The most difficult portions of developing motors is the early mock up process. Energy is such an important subject that precision is key and that’s where simulation steps in. By running real-time simulation of engine concepts and seeing how a drive reacts before attempting to build a mock effectively improves the developmental process to produce more efficient and effective motors.
The MARS-500 mission was a simulation experiment designed to discover issues that may occur in a real Mars deep space expedition collaborated between Russia, the European Space Agency and China. Among the simulation were Mars’ surface conditions, ascent and descent phases of the aircraft, and the spacecraft itself. Volunteers from each collaborating group consisted of professionals with experience in engineering, medicine, biology, and human spaceflight. The simulation was broken up into three parts each with varying lengths. Stage 1 consisted a 15 day simulation to test all procedures and facilities. The second stage was a 105 day simulation. Finally Stage 3 was a 520 day simulation intended to simulate the actual manned mission to Mars. Experiment was considered a success as participants returned with optimal physical and psychological conditions.
OculusVR made a huge splash at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, as it showcased its Oculus Rift Virtual Reality googles. These futuristic googles were the first successful steps for virtual reality stepping into the media and popularizing simulation. What was so successful with the Rift was its ability to simulate environments and atmosphere. The headgear blocks out all external signals such as sound and light as its user becomes completely immersed in the world inside the goggles. While its developer, Id Software, had developed the goggles for a gaming purpose, the world looked onto what else could be possible through the Rift and how it affects the landscape of virtual reality.
In 2013, Elon Musk made public his design known as the Hyperloop. Hyperloop is a conceptual high-speed transportation system where pressured capsules where passengers ride would travel through a reduce pressure tube while being propelled through linear induction motors and air compressors. By running this idea through a simulation, they were able to test whether or not this ideal had any physical theoretical issues prior to going through with an actual test product. However, no red flags rose and the idea continued. Now, the testing track will be located near the SpaceX’s California facility who worked with an informal group between themselves and Tesla, the electric car company owned by Musk.
Google Glass is a computer with smartphone-like device worn like a glasses, a very basic form of augmented reality. It consisted of several voice commands as well as touch commands that allowed simple and quick functions to occur such as recording videos or calling family members. It also featured an overlay similar to an augmented reality or a HUD of a game. When it was beta released in 2013, it was a big hype but never did live up to it as it released in 2014 with disappointing sales. Its failure resolved around Google’s inexperience in the consumer market as well as a privacy issue where videos and pictures could be taken discretely and at will without others being aware. Its successor, the GG1, hopes to be a better device as it releases within the year.
In 2014, Facebook acquired Oculus VR for $2 billion which amounted to $400 million in cash and the remaining $1.6 billion was paid in 23.1 million shares of Facebook as well as a $300 million incentive to reach sales milestones in the future. While many may question Mark Zuckerberg’s decision, the CEO voiced his belief that virtual reality would be the next important computing platform. With various tech giants swarming around virtual reality, he may have hit the nail right on the head. He hopes that virtual reality would enable the creation of “useful, entertaining, and personal experiences.” However, some concerns remain with Facebook’s tracking and virtual reality.
Microsoft takes its pick at simulation and reality as it develops its HoloLens alongside its Windows 10 platform. The HoloLens uses the augmented reality function to overlay simulated objects onto the real world. Similar to communication in movies such as Star Wars or holographic functions that appeared in Iron Man, the mixed reality computing platform aims to revolutionize the way we interact with computers and with others. It also aims to succeed where Google had failed with its Google Glass. The HoloLens came into development in 2007 and initially turned into the Kinect technology platform. Its motion technology was developed and tailored for the HoloLens.
Citations for the Timeline
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