Application for Virtual Reality Group 3
VR for Telecommunication
-- by Lee Chong Liang (98104249)
The convergence of the computer, television, and telephone industries is leading to a transformation in the way people learn, access information, receive entertainment, and send and receive data. The telecommunications networks are rapidly advancing from public telephone service to interactive multimedia services. Meanwhile Virtual Reality is a new and exciting technology that holds much promise for delivering innovative new ways for people to interact with computers.
Tele-education, Telemedicine, Tele-banking, Tele-work and so on are commonly released if exact transmission of human at distance end became possible. And this became possible with the collaborative between virtual reality technology and telecommunication channels.
§ Telemedicine
Telemedicine is the delivery of health care and the exchange of health care information by using computer simulated pathologies to determine the outcome of potentially risky surgical procedures before these procedures are actually performed on the patients across distance using telecommunications technology.
It can transfer patient information over the networks, the real time transmission of images such as radiographs, CT scans, video images and etc. Some of the instruments allow the doctor to record the examination. For example, a physician treating a patient for heart murmur can listen to the heart as it sounded before the treatment and compare it after the treatment.
§ Tele-education
Tele-education is defined as use of telecommunication technology to deliver education from a distance. Telecommunication and the rapid advances and availability of computer-based systems such as virtual reality, multimedia and the Internet give the educators the option of providing effective instruction.
Virtual classroom is also an innovative program brings the university into the homes and workplace of students through the use of computers. Besides that, Tele-training is also a new way of approaching the delivery and support for training using network computers.
In the future, Tele-virtual reality is one of good examples of applications that converges telecommunication and virtual reality. Two or more person can meet each other’s representations in a 3d virtual reality space via high capacity super net. They can alter the objects in the room as required and they can interact. This might be the way to communicate between each other in the future.
§ Using VR to manage Broadband Telecommunication Networks
To avoid making mistakes on managing the networks, researchers begin to use VR in networks. It will be GUI and Intelligent enough to automatically ix small problems and analyze data. With the help of VR user interface, we can have 3D visual display. The VR interface allows the network structure, performance levels and management information flows to be visualized together, in real time. It will be a virtual network world. Then, the user can navigate it by walking or flying around the network. Navigation in the world is via using mouse, joystick, or Data Gloves. User can grab a network element for moving or disconnect it. This rendering environment will act as though they are in the real world.
Conclusion
Virtual Reality and telecommunications are both fields that will evolve and grow very rapidly in the future. As the world is highly being networked regardless of geographical barriers, telecommunication filed would need better management to fulfill more needs of the society. Hence, the integration of Virtual Reality in telecommunication acts as a medium towards advancement in telecommunication technology as well as in Virtual Reality itself.
VR and Internet
-- by Lee heng hong (1991131209)
With the advance of technology and technical profession, many applications in the Internet were developed base on virtual reality concept. These applications are serving the purpose of major user’s demand: providing education, entertainment, simulation and communication features in the virtual world. But still, there are several difficulties that need to be encountered in order to create a complete virtual experience via Internet.
Internet is a packet-switched network, when one sends an identical message, such as an e-mail, to multiple recipients, separate packets containing identical data are routed to each recipient. As audio and video streams generate data rates in excess of 100 Kbit/s, broadcasting to multiple recipients over a wide-area network is virtually impossible. However, if one can exploit the Internet's routing hardware and software, the overall data rate would be much lower. New technique such as MBone, the multicast backbone were introduced but the result is yet satisfying.
On the other hand, the current VRML standard allows users to view and navigate through 3-D information data worlds and hyperlink to new worlds. There are methods on how HTML's image map and VRML's anchor code and multiple pre-defined viewpoints are used for information drilling, but the implementation is not complete. Over the next couple of years, we shall see 3-D visualization technology closely integrated with the data warehouse and multidimensional abstract and geospatial models. Therefore, a complete solution that can support VRML can act as an essential foundation of the future virtual experience on the Internet.
Most importantly, a multi-user computer system that employed a common database must preserve the integrity of the database while it evolves within a shared user environment. Now that 3D virtual environments are being shared by multiple networked users on the Internet, special techniques are required to support such systems. The solution should be focus on decomposing the functionality of a multi-user 3D modeling system into functional tools and specify the interfaces between them. Interaction and communication is a must in a virtual world on the Internet where it stimulates our real-life activities and environment affections.
The applications available on the Internet were widely used in terms on education, entertainment and business. The following were examples of the technical implementation on the respected application:
§ Virtual Theme Park
The concept of virtual theme park is an innovative mix of entertainment, education and retail, with the emphasis on entertainment. The VR technology will transport guests to different worlds, from waterbeds to gyroscopes and hydraulic units; a variety of platforms will provide a new kind of travel into Cyberspace. This innovative fusion of entertainment, education and retail is designed to ensure that the virtual them park becomes an exciting destination where guests will be treated to a complete and lasting entertainment experience.
§ Real-time Conferencing
This application functioned as education software using real time text based virtual reality conferencing systems. Gopher programs and recently World Wide Web browsers are just a few of many tools, which enable global participants to exchange information in real time. This represents a vast jump over email and points the way to inexpensive VR education possibility in the near future as affordable bandwidth and computing power grow simultaneously.
Conclusion
As a conclusion, the virtual reality technology had brought revolutionize wave to the Internet experience, making Internet users more convenient and greater advantages on their daily activities.
Potential of VR for E-Commerce
-- by Tan Shiek Wei (98103256)
& Yeak Lih Jiun (1991132110)
Consumers learn about products through direct experience such as inspection or trial and indirect experience such as advertising or word of mouth. The Internet has demonstrated high capacity for disseminating information about products and services yet fallen short of expectations when consumers want to “experience” a product.
As a result, three-dimensional (3-D), multi-user, online environments constitute a revolution of interactivity by creating a compelling online experience. The virtual environment offers e-shoppers the ability to rotate and view a product image online, as well as the ability to zoom in and out on product features, and some of them can actually allow the user to walkthrough inside the virtual world, in an attempt to improve sales and enhance customer shopping experiences.
Furthermore, in a conventional mall, shoppers may view window displays, chat with a friend or a salesperson, and see other shoppers in addition to inspecting individual products and trying out some features of a product. A virtual e-commerce environment is able to simulate much of these same experiences with presence mediating the persuasive impact.
The following are the examples of e-commerce applications that have the potential to implement in virtual environment.
§ Furniture and Interior Design
The Virtual Reality technology such as Parallel Graphics, which showed the online interior design solutions and allows the users to drag the desired furniture and drop it at any corner of the room. In addition, the user will also be able to rotate, zoom, move and delete that particular furniture would allow the user to have the actual view of the decoration of rooms as well giving the information such as the dimension and design correctly. This will facilitate the interior design to be sketch for decorate and suit the likings of customer to maximize the satisfaction of the design for customer.
Effort on making changes can be reduce either on time or money, as it can be change rapidly compared to drawing on papers. Customer could design the room desired without needing the expertise of drawing. As a result, this technology could bring the potential benefits in interior design fields in e-commerce.
§ Real Estate
In real estate business, it is important to able to show the architecture and interior design for the house or buildings to attract more buyers. This factor is easily done by virtual tour which allows real world be represented so real to show off their structure of building and the design of the houses.
Buyers may tour around and have detailed information on the building regarding size, interior design, and facilities near by, facing area and others. Ultimately, customers are able to save time on going to see the model of house, which might be too small and many detailed are disregard. A part from that, customer is able to avoid the crowds on viewing the models.
§ Travel and Tour
Virtual Reality offers the high end of interactivity to promote the places of interest by providing the actual scene/place tour to the tourist. This will increase their understanding of the places and give them more familiarity to increase their interest and their enthusiasm them to visit the place. The interactive map/ linked panoramas given could serve as the virtual reality guide to the customer at the travel destination. By this, the customer can feel at ease on safety and letting them feeling of comfortable pf touring without restriction of time and direction guide.
By promoting the places of interest using virtual reality technology would give multi-tract tour, embedded icon and media, interactive map and linked panoramas and maps to help the users on the virtual presence.
§ Virtual Hotel
Virtual Hotels would able to promote the hotels by giving virtual tour on hotel to see the facilities and room offer. Instantaneously, allow the customer to book the room online by online booking system. Its give the best convenience to customer, consequently increase the hotel business.
Customers are able to tour around the hotels to view for the interior design. In addition, Information such as facilities, actual size of room and the interior design of rooms are easily to be acquired. Thus, these will increase the familiarity for home feeling and reduce uncertainty for customer.
§ Virtual Product Shop
By a simulated virtual experience, virtual reality helps to extend product familiarity, effect motivation, and decrease product ambiguity, leading to elevated levels of arousal, enhanced shopping enjoyment, and heightened brand preference. Thus, instead of offering a catalog and calling it a store, by using virtual reality technology, user can set up a virtual reality storefront where customers can enter and select products from virtual shelves. The technology will able to provides complete backend interface to let user set up and manage the store where it will let user to bring items into the panoramic store and position them on the shelves.
Conclusion
With the use of dynamic virtual environment in e-commerce is increasing with the potential to serve a unique role in consumer learning as companies seek to provide consumers with a virtual product experience. Thus, the understanding of the complexities and intricacies involved in creating a virtual experience is important as the Internet continues to evolve. The verified relationship between presence and advertising effectiveness measures is a first step in understanding the potential significance and importance of a virtual experience. Furthermore, by creating 3-D interactive products, advertisers and marketers are able to provide consumers with a unique experience that could ultimately lead to improved business-to-consumer e-commerce.
Collaborative VE / Collaborative Computing
by Ng Mei Yee (1991139889)
& Tang Pui Lan (1991141235)
Collaborative computing is an environment setup to allow users to work together sharing their ideas and applications remotely independent of their location. It facilitates workgroup computing or better known as groupware. As an emerging technology, collaborative computing is highly suitable to be deployed enterprise-wide.
Collaborative computing come in the form of shared online whiteboard, video conferencing, audio conferencing and shared application. It can also take the form of Virtual Reality or Virtual Environment, which is also described as Collaborative Virtual Environment. This feature is designed to support temporally and geographically dispersed users. This is where it provides a context for communication and document sharing. Users are allow to communicate, share information, while remaining their privacy at the same time, able to review the documents and other editing capabilities.
Shared Virtual Environment (VE) Systems is defined as a multi-participant environment, with the presences of graphics, networking, and human interaction. There are a few characteristics that motivate the origin of shared virtual environment.
v Computation power, ubiquitous rendering capabilities, smooth and realistic contents
v Interactive content which provides intelligent feedback
v Cyberspace where a single space is occupied by millions
v Infrastructure requirements – dynamic extensibility, scalability, and composability
The very beginning of the development of the shared VE Systems started from the three main areas, which includes the US Department of Defense Networked VEs, Games and Important Demos, and Academic NetVEs.
The main category in the US Department of Defense Networked VEs the SIMNET and DIS. Simulator Networking (SIMNET) was to develop a low-cost VE for training small units to fight as teams. The architecture provides the user to enter from everyway on the network, and free-play. Distributed Interactive Simulator (DIS) is the descendent of SIMNET with the protocol data unit (PDU). The architecture of DIS is to determine when an object should issue a PDU.