Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy
Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy

Author: David J. Chalmers

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2022-01-25

Total Pages: 544

ISBN-13: 0393635813

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A leading philosopher takes a mind-bending journey through virtual worlds, illuminating the nature of reality and our place within it. Virtual reality is genuine reality; that’s the central thesis of Reality+. In a highly original work of “technophilosophy,” David J. Chalmers gives a compelling analysis of our technological future. He argues that virtual worlds are not second-class worlds, and that we can live a meaningful life in virtual reality. We may even be in a virtual world already. Along the way, Chalmers conducts a grand tour of big ideas in philosophy and science. He uses virtual reality technology to offer a new perspective on long-established philosophical questions. How do we know that there’s an external world? Is there a god? What is the nature of reality? What’s the relation between mind and body? How can we lead a good life? All of these questions are illuminated or transformed by Chalmers’ mind-bending analysis. Studded with illustrations that bring philosophical issues to life, Reality+ is a major statement that will shape discussion of philosophy, science, and technology for years to come.

Create Your Own Virtual Reality System
Create Your Own Virtual Reality System

Author: Joseph R. Levy

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 9780070376519

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This text sets out to show home PC-users what virtual reality is all about. It provides practical, hands-on treatment of VR technology for PC enthusiasts and hobbyists. Focusing on affordable VR products designed for the desktop, Levy explains how to assemble a complete virtual-reality system at home.

Making Virtual Reality a Reality
Making Virtual Reality a Reality

Author: Alison Valk

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2023-06-15

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 1440878986

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Walks readers through the key components of developing library-led research and programming that leverages emerging technologies with the goal of engaging students and faculty. As educational curricula and research evolve to include advanced technologies, libraries must offer programming with these emerging technologies in mind, including the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). In this timely guide, Valk, Mi, and Schick present readers with tools for assessing their level of organizational readiness to begin such programs and, more importantly, how to sustain them with limited budgets, expertise, and resources. Building on their own experiences, the authors teach readers how to develop technology-rich classes, assess student projects, and overcome technical hurdles. They spotlight this kind of programming as integral to building strategic partnerships in an educational environment. Readers will learn how to adapt and design programs or initiatives in which the necessary technologies are rapidly changing, not only in higher education institutions, but also in schools. Worksheets and resources assist readers in reflecting on their own work and developing educational programming to suit their organizational needs.

Virtual Reality Marketing
Virtual Reality Marketing

Author: Henry Stuart

Publisher: Kogan Page Publishers

Published: 2018-10-03

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0749482877

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If a picture is worth a thousand words, then virtual reality (VR) is priceless. This book offers everything you need to know about the opportunities of VR for brands to better connect with consumers. VR is booming - by 2025, the industry is expected to become bigger than TV. Virtual Reality Marketing is a comprehensive exploration of all things VR, providing readers with everything they need to know about the current VR landscape, and the unprecedented opportunity it offers brands to create unique emotional connections with consumers. A truly practical guide, Virtual Reality Marketing covers all aspects of the industry, including interactive and passive VR, 360 video, social VR marketing, and the role that influencers and bloggers are set to play in its development. It also looks to the future - exploring how VR is evolving and the changes it will undergo in the future. Packed with fascinating case studies, tips and strategies, and written by a recognized industry expert who has facilitated VR coverage for major international brands including Facebook, Audi, Google and Mercedes F1, this book is the leading resource for any reader looking to incorporate VR in their own marketing campaigns.

Creating Augmented and Virtual Realities
Creating Augmented and Virtual Realities

Author: Erin Pangilinan

Publisher: "O'Reilly Media, Inc."

Published: 2019-03-18

Total Pages: 373

ISBN-13: 1492044148

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Despite popular forays into augmented and virtual reality in recent years, spatial computing still sits on the cusp of mainstream use. Developers, artists, and designers looking to enter this field today have few places to turn for expert guidance. In this book, Erin Pangilinan, Steve Lukas, and Vasanth Mohan examine the AR and VR development pipeline and provide hands-on practice to help you hone your skills. Through step-by-step tutorials, you’ll learn how to build practical applications and experiences grounded in theory and backed by industry use cases. In each section of the book, industry specialists, including Timoni West, Victor Prisacariu, and Nicolas Meuleau, join the authors to explain the technology behind spatial computing. In three parts, this book covers: Art and design: Explore spatial computing and design interactions, human-centered interaction and sensory design, and content creation tools for digital art Technical development: Examine differences between ARKit, ARCore, and spatial mapping-based systems; learn approaches to cross-platform development on head-mounted displays Use cases: Learn how data and machine learning visualization and AI work in spatial computing, training, sports, health, and other enterprise applications

Emerging Tools and Applications of Virtual Reality in Education
Emerging Tools and Applications of Virtual Reality in Education

Author: Choi, Dong Hwa

Publisher: IGI Global

Published: 2016-01-18

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 1466698381

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Virtual reality is the next frontier of communication. As technology exponentially evolves, so do the ways in which humans interact and depend upon it. It only follows that to educate and stimulate the next generation of industry leaders, one must use the most innovative tools available. By coupling education with the most immersive technology available, teachers may inspire students in exciting new ways. Emerging Tools and Applications of Virtual Reality in Education explores the potential and practical uses of virtual reality in classrooms with a focus on pedagogical and instructional outcomes and strategies. This title features current experiments in the use of augmented reality in teaching and highlights the effects it had on students. The authors also illustrate the use of technology in teaching the humanities, as students well-rounded in the fields of technology and communication are covetable in the workforce. This book will inspire educators, administrators, librarians, students of education, and virtual reality software developers to push the limits of their craft.

Virtual Reality with VRTK4
Virtual Reality with VRTK4

Author: Rakesh Baruah

Publisher: Apress

Published: 2019-12-06

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 1484254880

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Virtual reality is quickly becoming the next medium to communicate your ideas. Once siloed in make-believe world of science fiction, virtual reality can now touch any aspect of your life. This book shows you how to create original virtual reality content using the Unity game engine and the Virtual Reality Tool Kit. By the end of the book you'll be creating your own virtual reality experience using the fundamental building blocks within. You'll start by reviewing spatial computing, an emerging field that encompasses self-driving cars to space exploration. You'll also create your own virtual reality environments for use on headsets such as those from Oculus and HTC. Using the Unity3D game engine and the Virtual Reality Toolkit on a computer or laptop, you will walk through the fundamentals of virtual reality with as little code as possible. That is the beauty of Unity and the Virtual Reality Toolkit. You will discover how to use buttons in a virtual space, gaze-tracking for user input, and physics for enabling interaction between a human and a virtual space. From game design to education to healthcare to human resources, virtual reality offers new and creative ways to engage users, students, patients, customers, and more. Not a coding book, Virtual Reality with VRTK4 shows that you don't need to be a computer or graphics whiz to begin creating your own virtual reality experiences. What You'll Learn Grasp Virtual Reality Toolkit and its interaction with Unity3DExplore the fundamental science of virtual realityReview the inner workings of Unity3D and its integration with VRTKUnderstand the big picture of C# coding in Unity3DIncorporate head and hand movement into virtual experiences Who This Book Is For Creative professionals or students who are familiar with computer design programs and want to begin prototyping their own original virtual reality work as quickly as possible.

Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality

Author: Samuel Greengard

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2019-09-10

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 0262537524

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A comprehensive overview of developments in augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality—and how they could affect every part of our lives. After years of hype, extended reality—augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR)—has entered the mainstream. Commercially available, relatively inexpensive VR headsets transport wearers to other realities—fantasy worlds, faraway countries, sporting events—in ways that even the most ultra-high-definition screen cannot. AR glasses receive data in visual and auditory forms that are more useful than any laptop or smartphone can deliver. Immersive MR environments blend physical and virtual reality to create a new reality. In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, technology writer Samuel Greengard offers an accessible overview of developments in extended reality, explaining the technology, considering the social and psychological ramifications, and discussing possible future directions. Greengard describes the history and technological development of augmented and virtual realities, including the latest research in the field, and surveys the various shapes and forms of VR, AR, and MR, including head-mounted displays, mobile systems, and goggles. He examines the way these technologies are shaping and reshaping some professions and industries, and explores how extended reality affects psychology, morality, law, and social constructs. It's not a question of whether extended reality will become a standard part of our world, he argues, but how, when, and where these technologies will take hold. Will extended reality help create a better world? Will it benefit society as a whole? Or will it merely provide financial windfalls for a select few? Greengard's account equips us to ask the right questions about a transformative technology.

Virtual Reality Technology
Virtual Reality Technology

Author: Grigore C. Burdea

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2017-11-01

Total Pages: 644

ISBN-13: 111948572X

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A groundbreaking Virtual Reality textbook is now even better Virtual reality is a very powerful and compelling computer application by which humans can interface and interact with computer-generated environments in a way that mimics real life and engages all the senses. Although its most widely known application is in the entertainment industry, the real promise of virtual reality lies in such fields as medicine, engineering, oil exploration and the military, to name just a few. Through virtual reality scientists can triple the rate of oil discovery, pilots can dogfight numerically-superior "bandits," and surgeons can improve their skills on virtual (rather than real) patients. This Second Edition of the first comprehensive technical book on the subject of virtual reality provides updated and expanded coverage of the technology--where it originated, how it has evolved, and where it is going. The authors cover all of the latest innovations and applications that are making virtual reality more important than ever before, including: * Coverage on input and output interfaces including touch and force feedback * Computing architecture (with emphasis on the rendering pipeline and task distribution) * Object modeling (including physical and behavioral aspects) * Programming for virtual reality * An in-depth look at human factors issues, user performance, and * sensorial conflict aspects of VR * Traditional and emerging VR applications The new edition of Virtual Reality Technology is specifically designed for use as a textbook. Thus it includes definitions, review questions, and a Laboratory Manual with homework and programming assignments. The accompanying CD-ROM also contains video clips that reinforce the topics covered in the textbook. The Second Edition will serve as a state-of-the-art resource for both graduate and undergraduate students in engineering, computer science, and other disciplines. GRIGORE C. BURDEA is a professor at Rutgers-the State University of New Jersey, and author of the book Force and Touch Feedback for Virtual Reality, also published by Wiley. PHILIPPE COIFFET is a Director of Research at CNRS (French National Scientific Research Center) and Member of the National Academy of Technologies of France. He authored 20 books on Robotics and VR translated into several languages.

Experience on Demand: What Virtual Reality Is, How It Works, and What It Can Do
Experience on Demand: What Virtual Reality Is, How It Works, and What It Can Do

Author: Jeremy Bailenson

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2018-01-30

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 0393253708

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“If you want to understand the most immersive new communications medium to come along since cinema… I’d suggest starting with Mr. Bailenson’s [book].” —Wall Street Journal Virtual reality is able to effectively blur the line between reality and illusion, granting us access to any experience imaginable. These experiences, ones that the brain is convinced are real, will soon be available everywhere. In Experience on Demand, Jeremy Bailenson draws upon two decades spent researching the psychological effects of VR to help readers understand its upsides and possible downsides. He offers expert guidelines for interacting with VR, and describes the profound ways this technology can be put to use to hone our performance, help us recover from trauma, improve our learning, and even enhance our empathic and imaginative capacities so that we treat others and ourselves better.