Joshua Burke

Mr. Gunther
English 1010 3
January 7th 2017
The Future of Virtual Reality
Virtual reality (VR) is the first step to creating a world that people want to inhabit. Many
see VR as teenagers waiting even more of their time with the latest expensive video game.
However, this technology has not only enhancing the world of gaming, but it is now enhancing
the medical, engineering, and aviation fields as well. VR has spurred billions of dollars of new
economic growth in multiple industries, and will one day improve the lives of billions of people
in every social status and in every country in the world.
Since the advent of VR, gaming has increase from $9.5 billion industry in 2007, to a
$25.1 billion in 2010 in the US alone. With the new advancements of Omni directional
Treadmill (ODT), it will also make the game feel more real, as the player can run, walk, and
move as if in real life. ODT is similar to a giant squirrel wheel; its a mechanical device, similar
to a typical treadmill that allows a person to perform locomotive motion in any direction. It
allows the player a full 360 degrees of movement without implementations or being encumbered
in virtual space. This program changes the navigation tasks from a hand-based mouse or joystick,
to mentally hard-wired whole body or leg based. This allows enhanced immersion of the game
by providing a whole-body experience that begins at the soles of the feet and ends at the top of
the head. This technology will also help people who normally wouldn't get much exercise from
gaming, to exercise as they play some of their favorite game. Some games are already being

developed for fitness purposes that help your specific body type get the right amount of exercise
it needs.
Some are concerned how more headsets are being worn while people walk or exercise outside.
Their fear is an increase of danger to others by those who are wearing the headset. However,
those who wear the VR headsets are simply sitting in a room, or jogging on a treadmill.
Others point out the danger of wearing VR because of the complete loss of any
understanding of the real world around the user of the game. During a VR demonstration, a store
employee is required to stay near the customer to prevent injury. However, with the innovations
of technology, VR games are becoming safer, and allowing the player to be more ominous.
By using VR, they are changing space exploration. By using a Google maps-style
interface, space exploration will be at the ends of our fingertips. VR will make it easy for new
astronauts to learn and enhance their skills and put them in an environment very similar to space.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) used VR to walk on Mars with a Microsoft HoloLens, a
headset that can project virtual images. They used this technology to train others as a repair
schematic from the surface of Mars. The VR showed a virtual reconstruction of the Martian
surface for the Curiosity Mars rover to explore. Before now, researchers had to plot the Martian
locations based on long, flat panoramas of the surface taken by rovers. Researchers were two
times more accurate at determining distances and three times more accurate at determining
angles between Martian specific locations when they could look around from within the Martian
VR scene. Now there has been discussed a second application, which allows experts to guide
astronauts on the International Space Station. This technology has been shared with geologist
who works outside in the field found the tool very natural to use for exploring difficult terrain.

When scientists first started using this, they realized they could run up a hill to get spatial
awareness of the scene.
Using the VR HoloLens, NASA's Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO),
was able to use the underwater facility to simulate the space station. Researchers remotely
walked through the steps of opening hatches, putting out fires, multistep procedures, and even
diagnosed and performed an appendectomy. With HoloLens guidance, aquanauts on NEEMO
were able to perform activities in just an hour instead of the 4 hours it took them when they used
space procedures.
The healthcare sector is becoming the biggest adopters of VR. This technology is
essential to the training of the next generation of medical professionals by enabling the trainee
surgeons to gain experience in a safe environment. The intern will simulate surgery skills and
techniques without endangering a patient, while receiving constant feedback. The outcome has
been an increase of confidence and expertise to the trainee. VR also allows them to perform new
surgical procedures on a virtual patient or refresh dormant skills in a non risk environment.
Some believe that VR is a less superior training the real hands on patient training.
However, Kanoyin Falyin, a current medical student felt that, unless you're scrubbed in and
being a part of the surgery you end up standing on the far end of the room looking in over the
surgeon's shoulder. But with this you're actually looking over the patient and can really see what
the surgeon is doing.(Falyin).
Robotic surgery is a surgery using a robotic arm which is controlled by a human surgeon.
This method has provided fewer risks of infections and mistakes while completing the surgery in
a shorter amount of time. The robotic device is also more accurate, while using smaller incisions,

reduced blood loss and a shorter patient downtime. VR enables the surgeon to control the
robotic arm with more delicate movements, which would be too difficult for a human surgeon to
perform. VR is also giving birth to a new type of surgery called Telesurgery. This VR surgery
technology allows the surgeon to perform the surgery with a robotic arm on a patient in another
part of the world. VR provides force feedback, or physical responses experienced by a person
during the surgery. For example, with a robotic surgery it is vital that the surgeon feels a
physical response when manipulating the device, so they can make the necessary adjustments.
Many believe this will reduce the patients relationship between doctor and patient.
However, millions of patients die and suffer needlessly due to the lack of access to qualified
physicians. Patients who are in remote parts of the world will have more access to world
renowned doctors than ever before.
VR is also used to treat sufferers of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) who have
recently returned from a combat zone and are experiencing various symptoms. The VR
environment helps military members relive their traumatic experiences in a computer-game
environment using Exposure Therapy. A behavioral technique which is used to treat PTSD and
other anxiety disorders that involves exposing the patient to a fear-inducing experiences in a
controlled atmosphere.
The Air Force is using VR as part of their training systems to teach flying skills in a safe
environment. The flight simulator contains a cockpit with controls which mimics the movements
associated with flying any type of aircraft. It is an enclosed motion platform to responds to
changes in weather, turbulence, battlefield conditions, coordinating with ground operations,
emergency medical evacuation, and flying while under fire. The aim of the program is for the

pilot to experience a sense that they are flying a real aircraft with real controls and under real life
conditions. The simulators are designed to be identical to the actual aircraft and move in a
realistic way. If it does not, then the pilot suddenly becomes aware that the inconsistent
movements of the simulated aircraft.
Another big potential virtual reality holds for our future is how it will change education.
An article written by the organization Change The Equation, discussed how virtual reality can
change the traditional form of teaching to VR lab work. Ten different high schools across
America received ten million dollars in an ambitious project to reinvent the way curriculum is
taught by lowering costs. Chemistry labs where, students enter the lab, strap on a virtual reality
headset, and instead of playing video games, students will enter a fully immersive and
scientifically accurate virtual reality chemistry lab, (Change the Equation.) The University of
California is helping students study hallucinations of psychosis. The program accurately
represent the visual hallucinations experienced by two patients with schizophrenia. Following the
completion of this simulation, 76% surveyed believe that the environment improved their
understanding of auditory hallucinations. VR could carry out complex experiments that would
normally require pricey equipment, safely manipulate hazardous chemicals, or even see
chemical reactions at the molecular level play out in real time, (Change the Equation). Virtual
reality is helping engineering reach new levels of utility and access and allowing engineers the
ability to install full room electric configurations.
The VR headsets are helping engineers work together with individual components as they
would in the real world. Engineers would be able to test tolerances and dimensions in a virtual
reality environment in plastic or metal injection molding for manufacturing. Conducting design

tests costs almost nothing and will replace the trial-and-error method of design. Reducing the
need for prototypes can result in significantly lower overall development costs. VR for engineers
brings a much closer actual tactile experience of handling a component and installing it in an
existing configuration. This allows for more accurate requirements of a manufactured part and
how it should be manufactured.
VR has made it safer for manufacturing and engineer employees by not working with
moving parts, live electricity or other potential hazards that exist in the everyday operation of a
facility and project. This allows the ability to improve creativity, brainstorming potential, and
solutions to problems which VR is not limited by cost or time constraints. Adjustment to the
manufacturing process are no longer requiring retooling machines, but simply changing a few
lines of code.
Virtual reality is a technology that could actually allow you to connect with any human
regardless of where they are in the world. It is crucial to science education by hands-on
involvement. Not just telling, but showing real experiments and at its very core, being freed
from the limitations of actual reality. VR is helping us to jump into it whenever and wherever we
want, qualitatively changes the experience for the better. Some believe it detaches us from
humans, and substitutes our world for one we prefer to experience. However, virtual reality
provides cost savings in the medical and engineering fields, creativity in gaming, educating
others quicker and more efficiency, increasing safety in manufacturing, and even the ability for
space exploration and to travel to distant worlds.

Joshua Burke
Mr. Gunther
English 1010 - 3
7 December 2016
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