Virtual Reality, initialized as VR, is a term used in the technical world to describe the technology that provides an environment in which the user is able to interact with a computer-simulated program or software in order to experience either a real or imagined situation. In this paper, I will try to explain the software in general, give a brief description of what the software is, a short history of its discovery, the software’s various applications in the engineering field and why I think it is a breakthrough as a product.
Virtual Reality was founded by Dr Ivan Sutherland. Dr Sutherland was the pioneer of the graphical user-interface, the main component of the Virtual Reality software[2]. Virtual Reality, VR, is divided into three different types. There is Desktop VR, Video Mapping VR, and Immersive VR. Desktop VR is the most basic form of the software where the user views a virtual environment through one or more computer screens. Through these screens, the user is able to interact with the virtual environment while not being necessarily immersed into it. As for the Video Mapping VR, the VR software uses cameras to project an image of the user into the computer. The image formed is normally in 2-Dimensions, usually referred to as an avatar. As for the case of using the Video Mapping VR, the user is partially immersed into the computer program and this makes it difficult for the user to fully interact with the virtual environment. The Immersive VR, however, projects a video directly into the user’s eyes, plays audio into the user’s ears, and tracks the whereabouts of the user’s head[3].Used together with the VR is a datasuit which tracks the body movements of the user and then duplicates them in the environment[3].During maximum efficiency of the VR software, the user is totally immersed into the computer environment and would normally not be able to distinguish real from imaginative. The inability of the user to distinguish from real and imaginative presents a breakthrough in the use of the VR software. So far, the VR’s use has been a success in the various fields that it has been applied.
Many production companies have benefited through the use of the VR software. The automotive industry, for example, has been able to reduce the flaws in its vehicles’ operating machinery and thus has greatly increased the vehicles’ efficiency. The reduction of flaws and the increment of vehicular efficiency have been made possible, as the VR software performs accurate checks in the design of the automotives and gives a quick and detailed analysis of its findings. Another industry which has experienced marginal benefits is the aviation industry. Boeing and Airbus, two of the biggest names in the aviation industry, have been able to incorporate the use of the VR software and have both experienced remarkable benefits. In many cases, VR was able to verify the correct placement of every single object in the aeroplane design and gave accurate results on the first try[4]. This was considered to be a major breakthrough in the aviation industry. In general, the Virtual Reality software used in both the automotives and aviation industries has enabled both industries to probe, try discuss, and test products long before they are introduced into the physical world[4].Besides that, the VR is also useful for digital manufacturing where it aids in process planning and design of work cells. The work cells, used to represent large data sets gathered from other computer-aided engineering analysis, are also used for customization of products for potential clients[4]. To add onto the two benefits of the Virtual Reality software that I have just mentioned, the use of the VR software has also reduced the time incorporated in the chain of production of various objects for sales. Since the VR software performs accurate checks on the products and ensures stability and efficiency in all dimensions, the companies are able to release their products to the markets firsthand. On top of these three benefits, engineering companies have also been able to diversify their group of employees. The companies have succeeded in attracting a different group of engineers who are mainly interested in the technical aspect of the profession accompanied with the use of the VR software and not necessarily their physical involvement.
The industries that have incorporated the use of Virtual Reality software to their production lines have also experienced some shortcomings. In general, the VR software designs products to be efficient in random situations to a specific extent. Since the Virtual Reality software tests for specific conditions, the final product might still not be able to deal with the random occurrence of the situation in the real world. In addition, although rare, the computer might make errors, and this can be very costly to the company as the final product would have already been in the physical world. In other words, an error in either the Virtual Reality software analysis or any general computer error that goes unnoticed, might lead to the industry experiencing marginal losses as their products would have to be withdrawn from sales. Overall, the benefits that have come with the use of the Virtual Reality software still outnumber the disadvantages that exist.
In conclusion, the invention and innovation of the Virtual Reality software is a remarkable breakthrough majorly witnessed in its diverse applications in the engineering field. The software still continues to present valid successes in the production industries, promising even bigger future breakthroughs in design and analysis of objects for use in the physical world.
I would like to thank first and foremost the University of Pittsburgh for allowing me to use their databases for research, the Writing Center for guiding me through the writing specifications and giving me more advice on how to improve the paper and finally my professor for her overall teaching of course material which enabled me in the writing of this paper.