For this essay I chose to write on the article, The Illusion of the Control in a Virtual Setting.

Technology can “provide an exact replica of the anxiety-producing situation for the subject, which is impossible to do in the real world. Many researchers have shown that VR is successful in reducing the fear of public speaking”. analyzes Lee et al. (191). There are two techniques to develop the treatment. The first is the model-based which is made with virtual models with limited data and non-realistic motions. The second is the movie-based technique which uses real audiences. With each audience being shot individually, makes it possible to manipulate the virtual audience to compose many more settings. This would give the student a more realistic environment where a therapist is able to configure each audience member with nine different positive actions such as

Although this specific program will likely not become available to average consumers, the same foundations for the simulation will be available on the marketplace while being affordable at the same time. In time, applied use of virtual reality such as the Oculus Rift will become mainstream and accepted in everyday life not only due its entertainment value, but also due to its affordability for consumers everywhere. Thoughts of virtual reality often resemble fantastical scenarios reminiscent of scenes in movies with similar themes like Gamer, The Matrix, Total Recall, and Inception. After one delves into the VR technology in products such as the Oculus Rift, one will begin to believe, and he or she will brace themselves for the tidal wave that is the paradigm shift of virtual reality.

The fear of heights can sometimes leave people frozen in terror. There is large amount of evidence suggesting that virtual reality therapy has successfully helped alleviate conditions similar to PTSD. This is accomplished by slowly increasing the amount of stressors, as to not overload the patient with irrational fear. For example, with fear of heights, researchers can gradually increase the difficulty of the simulation, so that the height of the platform increases after every session. In a similar case study, 49 patients had volunteered to participate in a virtual reality treatment for their fear of flying. Results showed, “By the 6-month follow-up, 90% of treated participants had flown since completing treatment” (Anderson 2001). Effectiveness also hugely depends on plausibility and affordability. We need to consider if this treatment is convenient for

Human experience in VR is typically distilled into the words presence and immersion, though immersion is a term used to describe only the technological aspect of VR (Slater & Wilbur, 1997). Instead, the subjective feelings associated with VR are measured in terms of the amount of presence felt in that environment. Intuitively, one would think that photo-realism is paramount to the feeling of presence in a virtual environment, but research has shown that this is not necessarily the case (Zimmons & Panter, 2003), with factors such as bodily representation (Slater & Usoh, 1994) and freedom of body movement (Slater & Steed, 2000) having a greater impact. Interestingly, belief that the virtual environment and real-world environment occupied by the participant are the same increases the feeling of presence in that virtual environment (Bouchard et al., 2012). Some have suggested that, ultimately, cues from other modalities, such as audio and haptic feedback, are necessary for our brain to believe VR experience (Ravassard et al., 2013); however, somewhat surprisingly, strong feelings of presence in VR can be achieved during fMRI, where the head is fixed, and loud noises are occurring (Hoffman et al., 2003). As mentioned, though, presence is greater when the participant has the ability to freely move (Slater & Steed,

When the words Virtual Reality come into the display, a great deal of people assumes that it’s interactive Video Games. In other words games where the player can interact with the environment around him. Pick up various items and throw them around as they continue on exploring the limitations of the server. Lots of parents believe that VR, much like normal games are a waste of time for their children and in a sense, they are completely right. But disregarding VR as mere video games can be fatal mistake, when in Reality the VR reaches far beyond games for teenagers.

Other researchers experiment with treatments to increase their effectiveness. The virtual reality simulators “might be good for people who are too avoidant to stand exposure therapy, because it puts them right there”. Among others described in the article, in one study with veterans of the current Iraq war, the participants are given a type of virtual reality that simulates combat conditions in Iraq, then randomizing them into a drug condition where they get D-cyclocerine, a placebo, or

Consequently, virtual reality (VR) therapy is now an alternative that is frequently used as a standard exposure treatment for heights and flying phobias (as cited in Rothbaum et al., 2002, P.428-432). While the professional VR system could be relatively expensive, the study conducted by Malbos, Mestre, Note, & Gellato (2008) suggested that a multi-component therapy that involve VR exposure using mainstream video-game level of editor with powerful 3D engines would also be effective comparing to the professionals after eight

All participants would be briefed on the possible side effects of simulations and virtual reality, while also told that they can cease to participate at any point. If the participants wish to continue with the experiment, the participants will be separated into rooms and fitted with a virtual reality headset. The participants will go through three simulations, spanning three days. The first simulation is the VMALL simulation, to serve as a baseline for how well the participants preform compared to prior research. The VMALL simulation is a virtual simulation which consists of nine aisles. Participants are given four items to find in the simulation and “buy,” clustered in groups of two found in two aisles. The participants are given five minutes to get used to the technology and get a sense of what items are in the aisles. Then, the participants are given a randomly generated four-item list. The simulation records how long the participants take to complete the simulation, how many aisles the participants enter, and what items were

These two worlds collide and people have difficulties distinguishing what’s real and what’s not. This can be both bad and good. It is detrimental to the real world, but if the real world is truly in a state that cannot be replenished then what is most important is the well being of the people still alive. If people can no longer find meaning in the real world, then at least they can find meaning in a virtual

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental illness that effects millions of people worldwide, including war veterans, police officers, marines and crash survivors. Recent research of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has produced new treatments with great potential and better results. This paper investigates the use of virtual reality as way of treating people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

With the virtual reality industry constantly expanding to include many different uses, clearly our current society is slowly becoming more similar to the World State in Brave New World. VIRTUAL REALITY IN BRAVE NEW WORLD In the World State, several different ways to escape reality exist. One of these ways is through the

In this type of therapy there are multiple advantages and disadvantages in using virtual therapy. The therapy is known to be more successful than any other therapy. The technology that is used in making a virtual environment is a push into better and newer technology for new therapy ways. Being able to help someone who cannot even walk out of their own house or go anywhere else is a huge accomplishment for the psychology world because they can now help more people who most likely needs it

To discuss Lanier’s keen views and anticipations regarding Virtual Reality back in the mid 1980s, it would be useful to first cover exactly how far Virtual Reality has progressed up until today. This essay will begin by discussing the history of Virtual Reality and the usage trends. That discussion will then be used to preface a discussion about Lanier’s views that were expressed in A Vintage Virtual Reality Interview. The essay will then finish off by looking at particularly interesting views held by some of today’s futurists and these views will be related back to Lanier’s original exuberant view of Virtual

VR is more than an upgraded version of Cinerama or a theme park ride, as it achieves not only a greater sense of presence, but through the use of computer technology, the capacity to direct one’s gaze and movements so that one can explore and move around inside the illusory flow of images [3]. The main imperfection in simulation at present comes from the difficulties inherent in presenting a sufficiently convincing computer generated image. Presenting a convincing visual input to a human being requires a computer which can handle a vast amount of information. This is both difficult and expensive with existing technology.

Seeing is believing, these words are the best combination to understand the meaning of Virtual Reality (VR). VR is one of the best asset and aspect of our future. No other technology has seen such a revolution like VR has. It is practically in use in almost every field such as entertainment, gaming, defense, robotics, medical, healthcare, military, education, fashion, heritage, business, engineering and many more fields. VR sometimes called Virtual Environment has drawn much attention in the last two decade. Extensive media coverage causes the much more rapid increase in the interest of the masses. Very few people, however, really know what VR is and what are its open problems are. In this report a historical overview of virtual reality is presented, basic terminology as an introduction are listed, followed by applications of this technology in science, work, and entertainment areas. Its present developments are thoroughly discussed in this report. Finally, the future of VR is considered in two aspects: technological and social. New research directions, technological frontiers and potential applications are pointed out. The possible positive and negative influence of VR on life of average people is speculated.