VPL Research, Inc., in Redwood City, California, with assistance from NASA, developed the DataGlove, a microprocessor-based Lycra glove that converts hand gestures and positions into data that's transmitted from the glove to the host computer. Greenleaf Medical Systems of Palo Alto, California, has used the glove to determine how much the different joints of a human hand can bend, and are developing technologies that allow doctors to accurately measure hand injuries. Home owners, wearing VR helmets and gloves, can design living spaces, lay out furniture, and customize their kitchens, reaching out to open cabinets and deciding where to place appliances. When they are satisfied, the computer will draft detailed drawings for the actual job. Many European companies, including Rolls Royce, Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, and ICI Chemicals and Polymers have pooled their engineering talents to form the Virtual Reality and Simulation initiative to apply computer simulation and visualization to industrial design and 3-D modeling projects.
Virtual reality provides a window into other worlds.
We are only just beginning to discover what's on the other side of the looking glass. Features will include interactive news and educational programs, along with the ability to access videos on demand. And, interactive feature films will allow audiences to choose a film's outcome. Engineers are involved in all aspects of this technology, from designing new cables to creating new film emulsions to engineering better sound quality. Up until now, television's video signals have been transmitted through an analog signal, which is a continuous wave with peaks and valleys.