Page 19 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report

various levels of freedom to simulate ascents, turns, etc. All of these devices have specific sensors to accurately detect the user’s movements (displacements and rotations of the body in general and of its parts, such as the fingers, wrists, knees, head, feet, etc.) to update the surround- ings in a consistent way. These types of systems are the most suitable for learning and training applications for activities that involve a certain risk or liability, such as skydiving, procedures in extreme environ- ments (nuclear power plants, thermal power stations, fires, explosive ordnance disposal, etc.), the operation of aircraft or trains, etc.
Fig 2. Semi-immersive reality cave [Visbox]
2. Semi-immersive or immersive projection reality: This is characterized by a large, complex cube-shaped projection system (with sufficient dimensions so that one
or more people can stand in it) with
the possibility of generating a different projection on each wall, floor and ceiling, each of which emits two different visual signals perceived by the user in each eye independently with the use of glasses or
a special head-mounted display, synchro- nized with the projection elements. Users can move about the cube (also called a “cave”) as though it were a room, and per- ceive visual information in accordance with their position in it. The glasses or head- mounted display must have motion and position sensors to allow the user to follow and regenerate the artificial universe after each new position is detected. A very large
space is necessary to deploy these systems and the projection systems regularly require elaborate calibration and recalibra- tion procedures. For this reason, there use has been gradually reduced and they have been replaced by immersive reality systems that are normally less costly, such as those of the previous type. However, they are still used in situations requiring the user to be continuously in contact with elements of the real world within an artificial envi- ronment, such as the assembly of parts or equipment repairs in dangerous situations (at a certain heighst, in situations of extreme temperatures or pressure, low oxygen, radioactivity, etc.).
3. Non-Immersive Reality: This type of simulation includes situations in which a conventional video screen or monitor is used to view the virtual objects. The sensation of three-dimensionality is less and the interaction with the objects of the artificial world is through conventional peripheral equipment such as a keyboard, mouse, joystick, steering wheel, pedals, microphone, etc. This is the simplest and most widely used type of virtual reality because of the proliferation of computer games that provide it both for individuals (single user) and groups (multiple users connected to the net). In addition to gaming, non-immersion reality has been extensively used in many other applica- tions such as training, marketing or simply public information. This might also include the research works being carried out at this time to facilitate the generation of holograms for the recreation of three-di- mensional figures that can be moved within a certain space. Work on this type of devices has been going on for decades, practically since George Lucas showed us the famous message from Princess Leia in Star Wars in 1977, a hologram, a “holo- graphic video” stored on a “hologram disc.” The situation with these devices is still
AC/E DIGITAL CULTURE ANNUAL REPORT 2018
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Digital Trends in Culture