An introduction to virtual reality covers every aspect of the revolutionary new technology and its many possible applications, from computer games to air traffic control. Original. National ad/promo.
This is the fourth volume in a series exploring progess in photothermal and photoacoustic science and technology. The book focuses on semiconductors and electronic materials.
In 1988, the NATO panel governing human sciences (Panel 8 on Defence Applica of Human and Bio-Medical Sciences) established a Research Study Group to synthe tions size information relevant to Advanced Technologies Applied to Training Design. During its first phase, the RSG established an active exchange of information on advanced tech nologies applied to training design and stimulated much military application of these tech nologies. With the increased emphasis on training throughout the alliance, Panel 8, during its April 1991 meeting decided to continue with Phase II of this RSG focusing in the area of advanced training technologies that were emerging within the alliance. In order to ac complish its mission, the RSG held a series of workshops. Leaders in technology and training were brought together and exchanged information on the latest developments in technologies applicable to training and education. This volume represents the last in a se ries based on the NATO workshops. In Part One, it details findings from the last work shop, Virtual Reality for Training; and in Part Two, we provide a summary perspective on Virtual Reality and the other emerging technologies previously studied. These include computer-based training, expert systems, authoring systems, cost-effectiveness, and dis tance learning. It is a natural extension to proceed from learning without boundaries to virtual envi ronments. From the extended classroom to the individual or team immersion in a distrib uted, virtual, and collaborative environment is an easy conceptual step.
This volume addresses virtual reality (VR) -- a tantalizing communication medium whose essence challenges our most deeply held notions of what communication is or can be. The editors have gathered an expert team of engineers, social scientists, and cultural theorists for the first extensive treatment of human communication in this exciting medium. The first part introduces the reader to VR's state-of-the-art as well as future trends. In the next section, leading research scientists discuss how knowledge of communication can be used to build more effective and exciting communication applications of virtual reality. Looking ahead, the authors explore pioneering approaches to VR narratives, interpersonal communication, the use of 3D sound, and the building of VR entertainment complexes. In the final section, the authors zoom out to view the big picture -- the psychological, social, and cultural implications of virtual reality. Thought-provoking discussions consider important communication issues such as: * How will virtual reality influence perception of reality? * What are the legal issues defining communication in virtual reality? * What kind of cultural trends will this technology encourage?
Despite widespread interest in virtual reality, research and development efforts in synthetic environments (SE)â€"the field encompassing virtual environments, teleoperation, and hybridsâ€"have remained fragmented. Virtual Reality is the first integrated treatment of the topic, presenting current knowledge along with thought-provoking vignettes about a future where SE is commonplace. This volume discusses all aspects of creating a system that will allow human operators to see, hear, smell, taste, move about, give commands, respond to conditions, and manipulate objects effectively in a real or virtual environment. The committee of computer scientists, engineers, and psychologists on the leading edge of SE development explores the potential applications of SE in the areas of manufacturing, medicine, education, training, scientific visualization, and teleoperation in hazardous environments. The committee also offers recommendations for development of improved SE technology, needed studies of human behavior and evaluation of SE systems, and government policy and infrastructure.
This volume presents the latest research in Virtual Reality (VR), as it is being applied in psychotherapy, rehabilitation, and the analysis of behaviour for neurological assessment. This book will be of value to anyone already in the field and to those who are interested in the development of VR systems for therapeutic purposes. The contents include: · The latest literature reviews on VR in psychotherapy, psychological wellbeing, and rehabilitation · VR and cognitive behavior therapy · Increasing presence in VR for effective exposure therapy and treatment of anxiety disorders · VR military training for managing combat stress and preventing post traumatic stress · VR, mixed reality systems, and games for stroke rehabilitation · VR systems for improving vision in children with amblyopia · Therapeutic play in virtual environments · Healing potential of online virtual worlds such as Second Life · Neuropsychological assessment using virtual environments · Detailed accounts on how VR systems are designed, implemented, and best evaluated · Discussions of limitations, problems, and ethical concerns using VR in mental and physical therapy
Full coverage of electronics, MEMS, and instrumentation and control in mechanical engineering This second volume of Mechanical Engineers' Handbook covers electronics, MEMS, and instrumentation and control, giving you accessible and in-depth access to the topics you'll encounter in the discipline: computer-aided design, product design for manufacturing and assembly, design optimization, total quality management in mechanical system design, reliability in the mechanical design process for sustainability, life-cycle design, design for remanufacturing processes, signal processing, data acquisition and display systems, and much more. The book provides a quick guide to specialized areas you may encounter in your work, giving you access to the basics of each and pointing you toward trusted resources for further reading, if needed. The accessible information inside offers discussions, examples, and analyses of the topics covered, rather than the straight data, formulas, and calculations you'll find in other handbooks. Presents the most comprehensive coverage of the entire discipline of Mechanical Engineering anywhere in four interrelated books Offers the option of being purchased as a four-book set or as single books Comes in a subscription format through the Wiley Online Library and in electronic and custom formats Engineers at all levels will find Mechanical Engineers' Handbook, Volume 2 an excellent resource they can turn to for the basics of electronics, MEMS, and instrumentation and control.
The offsite and modular market is continuing to grow. This book builds on the success of a number of initiatives, including formative findings from literature, research and development and practice-based evidence (success stories). It presents new thinking and direction from leading experts in the fields of: design, process, construction, engineering, manufacturing, logistics, robotics, delivery platforms, business and transformational strategies, change management, legislation, organisational learning, software design, innovation and biomimetics. This book is particularly novel and timely, as it brings together a number of cogent subjects under one collective ‘umbrella’. Each of these chapters contain original findings, all of which culminate in three 'Key Learning Points' which provide new insight into the cross-cutting themes, interrelationships and symbiotic forces that exist between each of these chapters. This approach also provides readers with new contextualised understanding of the wider issues affecting the offsite market, from the need to embrace societal challenges, through to the development of rich value-laden solutions required for creating sector resilience. Content includes a balance between case studies and practice-based work, through to technical topics, theoretical propositions, pioneering research and future offsite opportunities ready for exploitation. This work includes: stakeholder integration, skills acquisition, new business models and processes, circularity and sustainable business strategies, robotics and automation, innovation and change, lean production methodologies and new construction methods, Design for Manufacturing and Assembly, scaled portfolio platforms and customisability, new legal regulatory standards and conformance issues and offsite feasibility scenario development/integration.
Computers have dramatically altered life in the late twentieth century. Today we can draw on worldwide computer links, speeding up communications by radio, newspapers, and television. Ideas fly back and forth and circle the globe at the speed of electricity. And just around the corner lurks full-blown virtual reality, in which we will be able to immerse ourselves in a computer simulation not only of the actual physical world, but of any imagined world. As we begin to move in and out of a computer-generated world, Michael Heim asks, how will the way we perceive our world change? In The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality, Heim considers this and other philosophical issues of the Information Age. With an eye for the dark as well as the bright side of computer technology, he explores the logical and historical origins of our computer-generated world and speculates about the future direction of our computerized lives. He discusses such topics as the effect of word-processing on the English language (while word-processors have led to increased productivity, they have also led to physical hazards such as repetitive motion syndrome, which causes inflamed hand and arm tendons). Heim looks into the new kind of literacy promised by Hypertext (technology which allows the user to link audio and video elements, the disadvantages including disorientation and cognitive overload). And he also probes the notion of virtual reality, "cyberspace"--the computer-simulated environments that have captured the popular imagination and may ultimately change the way we define reality itself. Just as the definition of interface itself has evolved from the actual adapter plug used to connect electronic circuits into human entry into a self-contained cyberspace, so too will the notion of reality change with the current technological drive. Like the introduction of the automobile, the advent of virtual reality will change the whole context in which our knowledge and awareness of life are rooted. And along the way, Heim covers such intriguing topics as how computers have altered our thought habits, how we will be able to distinguish virtual from real reality, and the appearance of virtual reality in popular culture (as in Star Trek's holodeck, William Gibson's Neuromancer, and Stephen King's Lawnmower Man). Vividly and entertainingly written, The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality opens a window on a fascinating world that promises--or threatens--to become an integral part of everyday life in the 21st century. As Heim writes, not only do we face a breakthrough in the technology of computer interface, but we face the challenge of knowing ourselves and determining how the technology should develop and ultimately affect the society in which it grows.
Communication Technology Update, Third Edition provides the latest information on as many communication technologies as possible, using as many specific statistics on market share, units sold, etc., as possible to allow comparison among the technologies. This book is designed to help make sense of the spectrum of communication technologies. The text explores the widest possible range of technologies, from broadcast to telephony and from wired to wireless. In discussing each technology, this book will not only deal with the hardware of the technology, but also with the software, organizational structure, political and economic influences, and individual users of the technologies. Major developments in each of these areas are presented for each technology, along with background information to help explain the major factors in the evolution of the technology. The first chapter begins by defining communication technology and introducing the ""umbrella perspective"" used to present and analyze each technology. Following this discussion, an overview of the remainder of the book is presented. This book targets two groups of users. One of which is the group of communication professionals who have a desire to keep up with the latest developments both within and adjacent to their particular fields. Second is the group of students who are studying communication technology and need information that is more current than that provided by a textbook and more comprehensive than that found in trade magazines.