What is VR? How much territory will it open up to the human imagination? And what opportunity will Taiwan, which last year became the third leading nation in the world in terms of value of production in the information industry, find in this VR trend?
What would it be like if construction sites had no sample apartments to look at? If furniture stores had no chairs or tables? If automobile dealers had no cars in the showroom? If, when customers walk in, all they find is a supercomputer?
This is not completely science fiction. In Japan, the American company VPL, one of the pioneers in the development of virtual reality technology, has already designed a "model kitchen" for the Matsushita Corporation to display and sell kitchen appliances.
According to the book Glimpses of Heaven, Visions of Hell: Virtual Reality and Its Implications, customers need only don specially made glasses and gloves and they will feel as if they are in a kitchen, the design of which they can alter to suit their personal tastes. They can open the "door," move complex objects, try the water faucet, and even break a glass. "It is as if consumers design their kitchens themselves."
Approaching reality
In "virtual reality," the total effect of the models of visual, auditory, and touch sensations is to cut the user off from the real world. This allows the user to "enter" the virtual world, as if one's body were actually present in the computer-generated space. The beauty of visual reality technology is that the user can touch, move, and interact with people and objects in the surroundings.
To get the effect of "entering" VR space and being able to interact at any time with the surroundings, it is necessary to have VR peripheral products that have direct contact with human sensory organs.
For example, there are sensing devices and data gloves that follow the user's position and hand movements; the three-D "mouse" which can move in all directions; the head-mounted display, which is worn on the head and calculates and outputs the visual images; headsets that can change the sound source; and special glasses which can separate the focal points of the eyes to create the sensation of three-dimensional space. There is even an interactor vest which can deliver sensations of pain, cold, and heat. All of these are peripherals that have already been developed, and new products are constantly coming out that make ever better simulations of being in a given environment.
Besides the above-mentioned 3-D VR systems, Microsoft, the leader in personal computer software, is working toward a computer-generated "virtual desk." Huang Jiung-yao, an associate professor of information engineering at Tamkang University, says that in the future all windows on the screen could exist together. Though the user would not have the sensation of having entered the picture, it would appear as if all the data were spread out on an unlimited desktop; this is called "desktop virtual reality."
Huang also raises another desktop VR system which is already being broadly applied. This type of technology doesn't require the user to have any special input-output devices to block out the real environment. Instead it employs the so-called "blueboard technique" using cameras. It makes a composite of images shot of the user along with computer generated virtual world images so that people can see themselves acting within the setting on the screen. One use for this is already visible in the weather programs of Taiwan's three main TV stations.
The image on the screen shows the broadcaster standing in front of an enormous weather map. In fact, in the studio the only thing behind the meteorologist is a blue cloth backdrop. It's just that the two images are "inlaid" using composite imaging techniques.
Wild dreams of a director
The concept of VR can be traced back to the days when computers were still primitive behemoths; indeed, at first VR was unrelated to computer technology.
Thirty years ago, an American director and cinematographer named Morton Heilig, inspired by 3-D films, had the "wild idea" of developing a "total illusion of reality" which would encompass sight, smell, motion, and sound. He declared that audiences would enjoy complete and realistic sensory stimulation. Under his skilled hands, the first "experience theater" with sound, light, taste, and touch--which he called the "Sensorama Simulator"--was born.
The book Virtual Reality Technology describes Heilig's patented "personal theater" in some detail. It says that Heilig designed an environment to duplicate a motorcycle ride through New York. The rider could feel the "wind" in his or her face (actually provided by a small electric fan). When riding over a pothole, the chair would dip downward and shudder. And when riding by a restaurant, the user would smell the "aroma" wafting by.
In this advanced theater, users were limited to a passive role, experiencing the sensations created by the designer. Users could not interact with their environment. In any case, Heilig's idea never spread far.
Meanwhile, it was not long thereafter that research work on VR began to appear in the information technology community. In 1969-1970, Ivan Sutherland brought together theory and practice to produce the first "head-mounted displays." The modern technology of virtual reality developed from there.
Fly the virtual skies
Tseng Mu-chun, manager of the marketing division at Voyager Graphics Incorporated, says that VR research in the 1980s was oriented toward flight simulators, due to the involvement of the US military and NASA. They were hoping to lower the costs and risks of flight training by allowing trainees to handle controls in a simulated airborne environment, complete with "windows" they could look out of to see the "sky," giving them the sensation of actually flying. The 3-D depictions developed as part of this effort have become an important component in VR.
However, observes Tseng, "with the end of the Cold War and the sharp reduction of the US military budget, manufacturers and researchers had to find other outlets, so they brought this technology to the private sector."
Currently flight simulators are used for training civilian pilots. The Boeing Corporation and other firms, meanwhile, have gone a step further, applying VR technology to aircraft design. Ordinarily, before a new aircraft can be mass-produced, a scale model must be tested in a wind tunnel. But this routine was bypassed for the new Boeing 777.
Boeing had already accumulated years of experience in aircraft manufacturing, and also designed the space shuttle and a space station for NASA. For the first time it used virtual reality technology to conduct simulated tests on a design that had been entered into the computer. It became unnecessary for pilots to flight-test the new aircraft. Instead, the plane's responses could be assessed in a model cockpit subjected to climatic conditions determined by a computer. It took only half the anticipated amount of time to get from initial design to mass production, greatly increasing efficiency.
When this plane came onto the market, many people remained skeptical, and there was quite a controversy when some defects came to light after formal flying had begun. However, it turned out that the cause was a loose door, and there was no threat to flight safety.
Life-saving technology
Ever since word came out that VPL, working on a commission from NASA, had manufactured a data glove, all the major media have competed in producing upbeat stories on the impact this technology could have on people's lives. What is the attraction of researching this technology? How has VR technology been applied overseas? Huang Jiung-yao, who has been doing VR systems design in Taiwan, emphasizes that there is nothing beyond the scope of VR applications, but probably the most important of these applications is "saving lives."
The Swedish automaker Volvo pioneered the use of airbags for side collisions. In the design process, the company first used VR to model all kinds of possible accident situations to develop equipment to ensure the safety of the driver.
Medicine is another important stage for the application of VR. According to a Minsheng Daily News article translated from a US source, an American psychologist named Larsen became perhaps the first in the world to apply VR to clinical treatment of those suffering fear of heights. He asked the Division Company of Redwood California to design some treatment software of simulated elevated locations for acrophobia victims. Users begin in a restaurant, then go onto the roof of a tall building; they proceed to a thin wood plank several stories above the ground, and finish by crossing a suspension bridge over a rushing river.
When tested on 36 acrophobes, at first the users were shaking with fear, feeling dizzy, and reaching out for something to hold on to. But after three months, 91% were able to achieve the target Larsen set out for them: To go up 15 floors in a transparent glass elevator. Because the simulated world was so close to reality, yet was not real, patients felt much less stress, and became more willing to face and conquer their fears.
Following this success, Dr. Larsen plans to adopt VR treatment for victims of claustrophobia and fear of open spaces.
Virtual surgery
VR has also proven to be a useful helpmate for repetitive training. In a lecture on VR technology, Huang Jiung-yao noted that the medical community is already using a "virtual microsurgery system" to teach endoscopic surgery. This allows novice doctors to quickly and safely become familiar with the surgery without having to learn on the bodies of real patients.
Now VR researchers are trying to link up with "telepresence" communications technology, so that a user in one place can be placed in the environment of, and operate tools in, a remote place. Thus a doctor would not need to be in a war zone, but could use a mechanical remote-controlled arm to practice surgery on a wounded soldier in the virtual reality appearing on the computer screen. Indeed, many high-risk tasks could be performed without people having to go to a place in person.
Thus, for example, the US used a remote-control submarine to "virtually" take people to make a survey of fossils under the Arctic Sea. Filmed images were sent instantly back to NASA via satellite, then connected up with a head-mounted display, so that researchers could easily "dive in" to the undersea world to explore.
In fact, these military, educational, and medical applications mark the extreme cutting edge of VR uses. Meanwhile, broader applications of VR remain at the laboratory stage, and are still far removed from daily life.
Everybody a top gun
One reason for this is that expanding VR applications means cooperation across technological boundaries, and it is difficult to bring together all the necessary resources. Moreover, in the words of Shen Li-sheng, program manager of the Computer Communication Division of the Industrial Technology Research Institute, at the current stage VR technology still faces "a basketful of problems." The key obstacle is that costs are extremely high, while the technology is still immature, so that it cannot fully and effectively reproduce the environment desired. Thus many companies that would like to use this technology for training in sales or education are not willing to go forward.
For example, the Division Pixel-Planes 6 system purchased by Matsushita for home and architectural design cost US$1 million. Yet even this system can only produce images constructed from five million polygons. Compared to the human eye, which delivers an image of eight billion dots, the computer image still has a long way to go.
With everyone fascinated by VR but applications still limited, most in the industry are placing their hopes in relatively low-tech VR video games as the way into the market. Tseng Mu-chun gives an example: The US aircraft maker Lockheed cooperated with Martin, a simulator manufacturer, to produce a VR aircraft game. The well-known American recreational center FighterTown boasts simulators of F-14 Tomcats and F-16 Falcons with simplified instrument panels. Players can engage in attacks, dogfights, and other missions--it's downright addictive.
According to an estimate by the US company Fourth Wave, in the four years 1994-98, entertainment uses for VR will account for two-thirds of the global VR market, and by the year 2000 the industry will be worth over US$1 billion.
According to the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), which is the institution in Taiwan responsible for keeping tabs on VR technology, already more than 200 research institutions in 17 countries are working on VR technology, and it is considered a key technology in the US, Europe, and Japan. As skilled experts in this field have come back to Taiwan over the past several years, this trend has also swept the information technology industry on the island.
Sweeping the nation
In fact, as early as 1989, the Aeronautical Industry Development Center (which developed the IDF fighter aircraft) rushed to the cutting edge by importing flight simulators for testing and training. Later China Airlines and EVA Airlines followed suit.
In addition, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications established a ship piloting simulator at National Taiwan Ocean University. It can be used to train students in piloting and maneuvering in all kinds of sea conditions. The data-input peripherals for this system can also be used to simulate new sea routes or harbors, so that these can be tried out and plans adjusted accordingly.
Chang Shih-yu, a lecturer in navigation technology at NTOU, and a former ship's captain, knows these harbors like the back of his hand. Various projects--the Formosa Plastics Mailiao land reclamation plan, the expansion of Keelung harbor, and the ongoing dike design for Taichung harbor--have all been "midwived" through this VR system.
At present all the organizations in Taiwan doing VR research are academic or research units (including the Institute for Information Industry, ITRI, and the Academia Sinica). There are more than ten ongoing VR research programs.
Bloodless war
In terms of applied technology, Huang Jiung-yao is employing a DIS (Distibuted Interactive Simulation) system at Tamkang University. This "links several VR systems together to create a much larger virtual environment, so that different users can experience the presence of other users and all can interact with each other."
Currently the US already uses a DIS system for group military training. Huang is putting his emphasis on flight simulation. Now when VR users take wing, they won't feel all alone up there, because they will constantly interact with other users. Further extended, the system could be used for training in team missions or for combat maneuvers.
Do you recall the story of Mozi and Gongshu Ban? In front of Mozi, who represented the little state of Song, Gongshu, a master craftsman from the large state of Chu, took out model scaling ladders to demonstrate a simulated attack. Mozi, unperturbed, loosened his belt and set it up as a model city wall. He drew a piece of bamboo out from the bamboo writing slips to symbolize a weapon. Gongshu attacked nine times, and each time Mozi successfully defended against him. In the end Chu could only give up its plan to invade Song.
In theory, if the ROC air force was pretty certain of the capabilities of the PRC air force, it could perhaps stage a "virtual war" exercise. Indeed, could it be possible in the future that, if both sides were simultaneously tied in to a virtual war, we could see history replaying the events of the Warring States Period, and conflicts "fought" in a bloodless way?
Coming back to reality, there are some applications for VR which could, in a relatively short time, have a direct impact on people's lives. Last year a local information company imported the Superscape VR system, so that local firms no longer need to write up their own programs to set up VR systems. Vincent Hsu, product specialist for the Intelligent Integration Corporation, says that the response has been enthusiastic, and more than ten have been sold in less than a year.
A graduate student in landscaping and design at Chunghsing University used this type of software to do "A Study of the Impact of Spacing of Plants on Mood and Preferences." The student set up the model at an information technology exhibition, taking passers-by as the survey sample. He asked them to put on the head-mounted display and personally "enter" the environment to sense which arrangement of flora made them feel most satisfied.
Also, students in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Tsing Hua University acting under the guidance of Wang Mao-chun used this software to study a work environment. They developed automatic evaluation software for the task of moving manmade fabric to test the amount of work a human could do under different conditions.
Unlimited potential
VR is extraordinarily attractive, so much so, says Huang Jiung-yao only half-jokingly, that any plan that includes the words "virtual reality" can get funded more easily. However, he states frankly, research into related systems is "still at the basic level" in Taiwan.
Yet, with Taiwan's overall technological level still lagging behind that of some other countries, it would be difficult to catch up rapidly. Does a favorable foundation exist?
Thus far, there is no "leader" among the companies around the world doing VR. Moreover, most companies in the field are focusing on expensive work-station level products, and have not deeply gotten involved in the market for home-use products. Nor has any "virtual reality industry" taken shape. Kris Chen of the Taipei Computer Association, who is in charge of the Industrial Technology Research and Development Office for the VR Industrial Alliance, argues that these conditions present Taiwan with an excellent opportunity. He notes that Taiwan already has a deep foundation in personal computers and integrated circuits. Thus, if VR core technology and peripheral equipment can be developed in time, not only will this spur industrial upgrading in Taiwan, it can reduce current high production costs through mass production.
Reflecting the foreign experience, local enterprises are also concentrating on video games to get a foothold in the market. In a report entitled "A Development Strategy for VR Technology," Shen Li-sheng wrote that penetrating the market with video games is only a first step. He estimates that by 1998 more high-tech applications could be extended to realms such as education, training, and medicine. He further anticipates that the core technology should be fully mature by the year 2000, with no fears that there will not be a market for it.
Health threat?
Nevertheless, even as local entrepreneurs place great hopes in this new technology, it is impossible to ignore the fact that some people overseas have discovered some negative aspects to VR, which Taiwan should learn from in developing the industry.
Of these aspects, one which has sparked widespread discussion and is in most urgent need of resolution is the impact of VR on users' health. Edinburgh University in Scotland has produced a study saying that VR puts stress on eyes; the story was deemed important enough to be the front-page headline the day it was reported. As a result the British company Virtuality altered their head-mounted display from having two separate LCD viewers to a single LCD screen.
The author of Glimpses of Heaven also wonders, "Will the weight of head-mounted displays hurt people's necks? Will eyes be damaged by being too close to LCD screens? At present, it is known that if the eyes are blocked from contact with the real world for a long period, this can lead to dizziness; it will affect the inner ear in such a way as to create a feeling of motion sickness."
Moreover, at the present time VR visual technology is not good enough to respond instantly to every move of the user. Often a user's head will have turned 30 degrees, while the computer is still trying to calculate the image that should be presented. Thus experts recommend that users not use the head-mounted display for more than an hour at a time in order to avoid irreparable damage to the nervous system.
Further, there are also time lags in making the transition from the virtual to the real world. This has already been confirmed in Taiwan. Chang Ting-hu, general manager of Cyberbear Enterprise Company, currently the sole agent in Taiwan for importing large-scale VR games, says that there have been customers who thought they must have been playing for half an hour when in act they were only in the game for three minutes.
Eloping to Atlantis
Some who are especially bullish about the future of VR have boldly predicted that after VR technology becomes widespread people will not even need to leave their own homes. They can "virtually shop," and go on "virtual vacations." They can even realize their erotic fantasies by having "virtual sex" through the computer. Current forms of commuter jobs and education will be overthrown, and cities will cease to serve any function. As the residence becomes the major focal point of most activities, probably the most prosperous industry will be the delivery of essential goods directly to people's homes on order.
Yet, even if all health concerns were dispelled, could VR really become so powerful that it supplants "real" reality? Most experts are skeptical. Thus, flight simulators are only to prepare people for the real thing, not to replace it. And deceptive direct-mail or television sales pitches are also to plague VR sales, especially while VR is still so far from 100% duplication of reality.
Yet none of these bottlenecks or difficulties is enough to dampen people's aspirations for VR. Shen Li-sheng found an interesting article in USA Today entitled "In the heart of cyberspace--a virtual reality wedding ceremony."
The article describes how a couple that wanted to elope decided instead, at the instigation of friends, to have a "virtual wedding" in a video game arcade in Los Angeles. They held their wedding in "The Lost Continent of Atlantis," recreated via VR by a US high-tech company. As far as they are concerned, this may have satisfied their desire to "run off," albeit to a place that was only a fantasy land.
The bride and groom wore head-mounted displays, and used hand-held controls that moved their bodies in the virtual world to immediately conform to their actual physical movements. The virtual wedding was displayed on three big-screen TVs set up behind the couple. The 300 guests watched as the couple got into a horse-drawn carriage and drove down a long avenue to the gates of a palace, where they joined hands and walked into the chapel where the priest performed the ceremony and they received well-wishers.
"Of course," laughs Shen, "they still had to be in the real world to exchange the rings!" And that may well serve as the best footnote to the idea that virtual reality can never fully substitute for the real thing.
（above, below） Right now the most flourishing application for VR technology is in video games. It is a popular item in department store video arcades, but experts still have reservations about the safety of VR games.
The oil pressure system in this flight simulator changes with different climatic conditions generated by the computer, giving trainees a taste of potential emergency situations. （photo courtesy of EVA Air）
With instruments identical to an actual aircraft and a multi-dimensional backdrop, it is hard to tell with just a glance if this is real or as imulation. （photo courtesy of EVA Air）
Linked into the network, shopping without leaving your home is no longer an impossible dream. But it could become a budget nightmare. （photo by Pu Hua-chih）
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