By Kiane
People assume that virtual reality is a forming influence upon many lives and is not likely to cause any problems. But this is a form of technology which is developing all the time and as a result, can throw up problems which had not been previously considered. There are physical problems which are due to poor ergonomics, there are also psychological issues, and there are moral and ethical concerns about this technology.
One of the main problems with virtual reality is motion sickness. It is not unknown for people to suffer from nausea after spending a period of time in a virtual environment which is due to the effects the shift in perception has on balance. A person’s balance is affected by changes in the inner ear which results in feelings of nausea often experienced by people when travelling on a ship or some other form of transport. Some people are affected by this after spending only 30 minutes in a virtual environment whereas others can go several hours before they notice any ill effects. Another name for this sensation is ‘cybersickness’. A student said that “I did this all the time, and it was true, that a couple of hours of playing, I would feel really dizzy, and sometimes I would almost throw up and pass out.”
Another problem with virtual reality is time: it takes a long period of time to develop a virtual environment which may not be good news for any commercial enterprise wishing to invest in this technology. Time is money in the business world. Plus many virtual reality companies or researchers use and adapt other forms of technology from other sources which means that they are reliant upon these. If one of their suppliers goes out of business then this will delay the work by a considerable period of time. The more realistic a virtual world the longer it will take. It takes an inordinate amount of time to create an environment which is indistinguishable from the real thing, for example, a 3D walkthrough of a building which can take a year or more to complete. “I believe that this is true,” a girl who happens to have the whole set of the gadget had said, “I know a friend who’s her father’s friend have a business like this, and just making the basics of the files took them about four to five months.”
Virtual Reality can also affect people in a positive way. Virtual reality is, of course, not just for patients. It also offers benefits to healthcare professionals. Training doctors and nurses to carry out routine procedures is time consuming, and training generally needs to be delivered by a busy – and expensive – professional. One nurse practitioner have said “I have heard about how virtual reality towards teenagers, gamers, or users, in particular gets influenced badly by using virtual reality. But virtual reality is increasingly being used to learn anatomy, practice operations and teach infection control, even I, myself, use it to hone my skills to be a better nurse.”
Early forms of virtual reality included blocky looking graphics and crude renderings which did not take long to produce but would not meet today’s ever increasing demands. People want faster, smoother and lifelike scenarios which make greater demands on processing speed, memory and rendering time. There has to be a balance between hyperrealism and production time. Being immersed in a realistic simulation of a procedure and practising the steps and techniques is far better training than watching a video, or even standing in a crowded room watching an expert. With low-cost VR equipment, controllable, repeatable scenarios and instant feedback, people have a powerful new teaching tool that reaches well beyond the classroom.
One of the main problems with virtual reality is motion sickness. It is not unknown for people to suffer from nausea after spending a period of time in a virtual environment which is due to the effects the shift in perception has on balance. A person’s balance is affected by changes in the inner ear which results in feelings of nausea often experienced by people when travelling on a ship or some other form of transport. Some people are affected by this after spending only 30 minutes in a virtual environment whereas others can go several hours before they notice any ill effects. Another name for this sensation is ‘cybersickness’. A student said that “I did this all the time, and it was true, that a couple of hours of playing, I would feel really dizzy, and sometimes I would almost throw up and pass out.”
Another problem with virtual reality is time: it takes a long period of time to develop a virtual environment which may not be good news for any commercial enterprise wishing to invest in this technology. Time is money in the business world. Plus many virtual reality companies or researchers use and adapt other forms of technology from other sources which means that they are reliant upon these. If one of their suppliers goes out of business then this will delay the work by a considerable period of time. The more realistic a virtual world the longer it will take. It takes an inordinate amount of time to create an environment which is indistinguishable from the real thing, for example, a 3D walkthrough of a building which can take a year or more to complete. “I believe that this is true,” a girl who happens to have the whole set of the gadget had said, “I know a friend who’s her father’s friend have a business like this, and just making the basics of the files took them about four to five months.”
Virtual Reality can also affect people in a positive way. Virtual reality is, of course, not just for patients. It also offers benefits to healthcare professionals. Training doctors and nurses to carry out routine procedures is time consuming, and training generally needs to be delivered by a busy – and expensive – professional. One nurse practitioner have said “I have heard about how virtual reality towards teenagers, gamers, or users, in particular gets influenced badly by using virtual reality. But virtual reality is increasingly being used to learn anatomy, practice operations and teach infection control, even I, myself, use it to hone my skills to be a better nurse.”
Early forms of virtual reality included blocky looking graphics and crude renderings which did not take long to produce but would not meet today’s ever increasing demands. People want faster, smoother and lifelike scenarios which make greater demands on processing speed, memory and rendering time. There has to be a balance between hyperrealism and production time. Being immersed in a realistic simulation of a procedure and practising the steps and techniques is far better training than watching a video, or even standing in a crowded room watching an expert. With low-cost VR equipment, controllable, repeatable scenarios and instant feedback, people have a powerful new teaching tool that reaches well beyond the classroom.