Development of virtual reality technologies

Is the virtual reality phenomenon first and foremost a new technology, an alternative mode of perception or a new paradigm of interaction? At the very least, it's an active field of technological activity, promising multiple applications. Every year, specialist trade shows offer visitors a host of astonishing new products. From real-time immersion in volumetric enclosures to the current boom in haptics – physical sensation of effort, or touch screens with added 3D, the technological thrust remains sustained and constantly heralds further advances inconceivable just a short while ago: holographic projection, miniaturization of projection...

To simplify matters, there are three basic forms of virtual reality (VR):

• VR based on immersion and 3D interaction, which applies only to virtual environments as such;

• augmented reality, which adds virtual elements to a real world (by mixing sensory signals);

• mixed reality, where a virtual environment is superimposed on real elements.

Thus, VR can easily be conceived as a series of immersive technological families supporting intuitive human interaction in more or less real time. It's not the image or the 3D aspect that builds the core value of VR, but a particular way of projecting, displaying and manipulating data, or rather, of providing global information and reporting in order to be able to act. Because our sensory reality is necessarily limited, VR proposes to go beyond it through mobility, increased spatial precision, a physical or social emotion conveyed by an atmosphere emanating from the scene in which we find ourselves involved, a realistic correspondence with the most Newtonian physics (gravity, fluidity, viscosity, etc.) or even a feeling of belonging to a communicating and decision-making group. Successful VR defines a new frontier for mankind, in that it abolishes the linear, decomposable boundaries of space and time. In fact, it's a truly disruptive technology, patiently biding its time. It dissolves the semantic divide between the real and the virtual, and we all know that disruptive innovations have to wait for particular moments in innovation cycles to take place, but then, in a brutally irreversible way.

VR system developers naturally cite the need to increase the power of their systems, as multimedia applications are so greedy for advanced graphics cards and large memories. The need to reduce the physical footprint of devices that can't be easily transported (CAVEs). Psychologists pay close attention to cognitive clutter, the mental load that slows down a user's availability for his or her own task. Let's expect new feats in miniaturizing VR devices. Let's hope...