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Virtual reality's roller coaster ride to the mainstream
In the early '90s, four odd-looking arcade games appeared at a rented-out store in my local mall. For about seven dollars, anyone could play three minutes of a new virtual reality game called Dactyl Nightmare. I paid up, put on the massive helmet and... the game was over before I'd even figured out what I was doing in the blocky, chessboard-like environment. The whole experience left a lot to be desired and I never went back. It certainly wasn't the first VR experience (or the most advanced) made available for public consumption, but it sums up how many felt about the ill-fated, first wave of consumer-facing VR projects: all hype and not enough substance. The times and technology have changed, though, and it's finally time for round two. VR systems are being developed and promoted at a rate that outstrips the previous era, with better graphics and games (and far less queasiness) than ever before. VR, it seems, is just about ready for prime time. So to commemorate its second coming, let's take a look at virtual reality's bumpy road to mainstream recognition.
Military deploys VR NeuroTracker game to train special ops forces (video)
We've seen virtual reality used to simulate the experience of being in space, to train engineers and even to help patients regain mobility, so it's no surprise that the military is recognizing VR's potential, too. The US Special Operations Command recently announced that it will employ NeuroTracker -- a system currently used to train athletes in the NFL and NHL -- to assess and improve commandos' response times and perceptive capabilities. The VR setup tasks commandos with following the movements of four different balls projected on a 3D screen, the catch being that four "decoy" objects are also bouncing around. NeuroTracker assesses how well an individual can keep track of the designated targets, and also helps determine how he or she would be able to predict trajectories in the field. Once a user has completed the first game, several variations come into play, including a version that speeds up the balls' movements and one that pits two players against each other. CogniSens, the company behind NeuroTracker, says the game develops perceptive abilities just like a workout develops muscles; there's even a high-intensity gameplay option that combines the mental challenge with physical conditioning exercises.
USC Institute for Creative Technologies gets new building to amp up its military VR work
University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies has just moved into 72,000-square feet of shiny new facilities in Playa Vista, California -- on the same grounds which once served as the headquarters for Howard Hughes' aircraft company. Funded by the US Army to develop virtual reality technology, the ICT's work is now found on 65 military sites across the country. Before your brain starts wandering towards thoughts of Call of Duty on military-grade steroids though, keep in mind that much of the institute's innovations revolve around simulating surrogate interactions with so-called "virtual humans". For example, thanks to advanced AI language programming, soldier patients projected on life size semi-transparent screens help teach doctors about treating combat trauma, while virtual Army personnel characters such as Sergeant Star can interact naturally with soldiers in leadership training exercises. Still, that shouldn't imply ITC doesn't dabble in good ole' fashion combat simulation work. In fact, it's currently running a training exercise on three military bases designed to prepare soldiers for an insurgent ambush within a highly-realistic virtual town reconstructed from satellite imagery. No, it may not sound as wild as robotic exoskeletons, flying Humvees or ultrasound-based mind control, but it does make your life on The Sims seem totally fake. To judge for yourself, check out the video overview on the next page.
