VIRTUAL REALITY’S MOMENT

1. VIRTUAL REALITY’S MOMENT David Kushner IEEE Spectrum January 2014 IS 376 August 21, 2014

2. VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS Beginning with flight simulators, advancing through scientific applications, and into the entertainment arena, virtual environments have been developed to provide an immersive simulated experience without the expense and risk associated with the real thing. Molecular Simulation at Argonne National Laboratory Boeing 787 Flight Simulator from Alteon Mattel Power Glove, Vectrex 3D Imager, and Nintendo Virtual Boy IS 376 August 21, 2014 VIRTUAL REALITY’S MOMENT Page 2

3. DIGITAL 3D Advances in digital photography and stereoscopy have enabled filmmakers to affordably produce 3D films and theatre owners to affordably show them. A 3D digital camera records video, circularly polarizing the right viewpoint using right-handed polarization... ...while recording the left viewpoint using left-handed circular polarization. Both images are projected simultaneously onto the theatre screen, in a manner that guarantees that the viewpoints are synchronized. The moviegoer wears polarized glasses that only allow the right-handed polarized images to pass through the right lens and the left-handed polarized images to pass through the left lens. IS 376 August 21, 2014 VIRTUAL REALITY’S MOMENT Page 3

4. VERGENCE VS. ACCOMMODATION Projecting a 3D image onto a 2D screen or television display tends to play tricks with one’s visual perception. In the real world, when a person tries to focus on a distant object, the eyes experience vergence, where they both rotate on their own vertical axes until they both point at the object. Meanwhile, the eyes experience accommodation, where they reflexively focus on the object in its distant position, causing nearby objects to go out of focus. With 3D images, however, the eyes rotate so they are pointed to where the object seems to be, but the reflexive focus must adjust to the screen’s actual location, eliminating the natural blurring of nearby objects. This results in serious eyestrain and headaches for many 3D audience members. IS 376 August 21, 2014 VIRTUAL REALITY’S MOMENT Page 4

5. SIMULATOR SICKNESS Efforts to make VR Simulations as realistic as possible frequently have unpleasant side effects. For example, providing a visual headbob (like the one illustrated at right), without an accompanying physical motion, can result in motion sickness and nausea. Similar problems tend to occur with rapid changes in acceleration and rapid shifts in perspective. IS 376 August 21, 2014 VIRTUAL REALITY’S MOMENT Page 5

6. BALANCE & THE INNER EAR The semicircular canals within the inner ear contain hair cells that react to body movements. These reactions are transmitted by means of the vestibular nerve to the brain, which subconsciously sends messages to the body’s trunk and limbs to maintain balance. When the eyes send the brain a different message regarding the body’s movements, the brain may react adversely, causing a loss of balance. IS 376 August 21, 2014 VIRTUAL REALITY’S MOMENT Page 6

7. VR LATENCY When the VR system’s processing time is excessive, its reactions to the user’s actions will lag behind, which destroys the illusion of immersion when it becomes noticeable to the user. Latency is particularly problematic in “augmented reality” applications, where virtual objects are overlaid on the user’s real world setting, since the virtual and the real should ostensibly be interacting. IS 376 August 21, 2014 VIRTUAL REALITY’S MOMENT Page 7

8. OCULUS RIFT Head-Mounted Display (Coated in white markers) Head Straps Camera (Tracks markers to record user’s head position) Circuit Board Screen Diopter Adjustment (Rotate to fine tune so eyeglasses aren’t needed) Lenses (Three pairs are provided to accommodate good, moderate, and heavy nearsightedness) Foam Padding (Fits to face) IS 376 August 21, 2014 VIRTUAL REALITY’S MOMENT Page 8

9. VR HEADSETS Oculus Rift Carl Zeiss Cinemizer Silicon Micro Display ST1080 Sony HMZ-T2 640x800 Resolution 870x500 Resolution 1920x1080 Resolution 1280x720 Resolution 90° Horizontal FOV 30° Horizontal FOV 39° Horizontal FOV 45° Horizontal FOV 13.4 Ounces 4.2 Ounces 6.3 Ounces 11.6 Ounces 7˝ Diagonal Display 0.39˝ Diagonal Display 0.74˝ Diagonal Display 0.7˝ Diagonal Display Liquid Crystal Display Organic Light-Emitting Diode Liquid Crystal on Silicon Organic Light-Emitting Diode $300 $749 $799 $894 IS 376 August 21, 2014 VIRTUAL REALITY’S MOMENT Page 9

10. THE OCULUS RIFT EXPERIENCE IS 376 August 21, 2014 VIRTUAL REALITY’S MOMENT Page 10

11. “Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. For the past few years, this has mostly meant building mobile apps that help you share with the people you care about. We have a lot more to do on mobile, but at this point we feel we're in a position where we can start focusing on what platforms will come next to enable even more useful, entertaining and personal experiences… • “After games, we're going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face -- just by putting on goggles in your home. • “This is really a new communication platform. By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life. Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures.” • Mark Zuckerberg • March 25, 2014 FACEBOOK PAYS $2 BILLION FOR OCULUS IS 376 August 21, 2014 VIRTUAL REALITY’S MOMENT Page 11

12. Google’s response to the $350 Oculus Rift Developer’s Kit is this do-it-yourself “Oculus Thrift” which turns Android devices into portable VR viewers, using an open source software developers kit. GOOGLE CARDBOARD Cardboard ($2) REMINDER: Next Thursday (8/28) is the deadline for the early draft of the first paper! Lenses ($10) Magnets ($6) Velcro ($3) Rubber Band (1¢) NEXT TIME: Professor Kapatamoyo speaks! IS 376 August 21, 2014 VIRTUAL REALITY’S MOMENT Page 12