Virtual Reality Technology And Society Essays - Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality Technology and Society A Report on VIRTUAL REALITY TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY Prepared for Social Issues in Technology DeVry, Phoenix by Joe Rykowski Kip Yeackley July 24, 1994 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iii INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 WHAT IS VIRTUAL REALITY? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Definitions and Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Inspiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND VIRTUAL REALITY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Video Display Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Audio Output Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Tactile Response Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Interactive Input Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Computers and Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 THE HISTORY OF VIRTUAL REALITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Virtual Reality in the Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Virtual Reality in the Present. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Virtual Reality in the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 THE SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF VIRTUAL REALITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 New Rules of Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Adverse Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 ABSTRACT This paper addresses entertainment's use of technology, specifically the medium of virtual reality. The focus is to define virtual reality, examine it's components, survey the field, and consider it's impact upon society. Among the definitions included are those from the artist Myron Krueger, the scholar Howard Rheingold, and the novelist William Gibson. The technological components used in virtual reality systems include the following: video display, audio input, tactile response, interactive input, and the computer hardware and software. Although a complete compilation of all the devices involved in this arena are beyond the scope of the paper, a discussion of the general areas of equipment, along with several examples of items and companies involved in the field will be given. Our survey of the virtual reality field will encompass views of past, present and future forms of