Logan Kugler, a freelance technology writer for over 60 major publications, wrote this research-based article for Communications of the ACM. The ACM is the Association for Computing Machinery, which is read and respected world-wide for helping professionals remain well informed on the specifics of technology advances examples of current and potential impact on companies. Kugler shares specific examples of why companies are investing time and money to use the improving technology of VR and AR as they transition to collaborative work environments. Kugler’s work is balanced, as it addresses the VR concerns of the past, but explains how the developments have helped in areas such as manufacturing and surgical training. For manufacturing, collaboration on design can bring people together instantly in a virtual environment, without the need of expensive, time-wasting travel. Teams can connect and work together on 3D models as they view images and immediately discuss and make improvements on components. Kugler also explains that this technology can be life-saving, as he shares how both surgical residents and veterans can improve technical surgical skills by being better prepared for procedures. In addition, hospitals can reach more doctors with remote training because it saves both time and money. Procedures that are not performed as routinely can be simulated in a realistic experience before operating on a patient. Kugler’s article even includes an interview with well-known technology specialist, Ajey Shah, who takes the current technology advances a step further with his speculation about the future technology advancing to the point of making smart phones obsolete. Kugler is quick to note that Shah’s company is working on the wearable technology he is proposing will replace the smart phones.
I will use this article to show my readers specific examples of how virtual reality is beginning to change how companies carry out daily everywhere. Kugler does a great job of explaining exactly how the reality of wide-spread VR use is a practical and productive tool for manufacturing and medicine. He uses specific examples which allow the reader to better understand the changes that will continue to impact collaborative work environments and safety outcomes.
Betsy Mason has researched VR related motion sickness for several news magazines. This article, published in Science News, takes a scientific approach to the problem of motion sickness, breaking down suspected issues and finding research to explain what is being done to help find a solution. This article confirms some of the advancing uses of VR technology from other sources but really focuses on the reasons it may be causing motion sickness. Mason admits the technology is moving past video games and into use by car companies to let clients view cars as if they are on a lot, architects to walk clients through buildings that are in the design phase, and schools taking students through virtual field trips. Her concern lies in the problem of people becoming sick, wondering if that will stop people from using the technology. Mason explains that motion sickness comes from two or more senses being mismatched, and impacting balance. With VR, this mismatch happens because people are using their vision to move through a place, but their vestibular system knows they are not actually moving. Her research also found that gender plays a role with respect to motion sickness. Mason explained a study completed for Experimental Brain Research, where college students were asked to play VR games. 78% of the women versus 33% of the men reported motion sickness. The study concluded that the more sensitive a person is to motion sensory cues, the more likely to have their brain detect the mismatch, leading to motion sickness. VR programmers are working with techniques to help reduce motion sickness. Strategic techniques, such as teleporting to zoom in and out of new worlds, or a “sprint” to continue the rate of speed until a target is reached, has helped with motion sickness at the expense of a true virtual feel. One of the issues lies in the fact that “the VR industry is moving at a pace science can’t match, forging ahead with its own grand experiment as millions of users test its products”(7). Until the issues are resolved Mason suggests people continue using some of the known solutions for motion sickness which are shared in a long list at the end of the article. This article will help me explain why some people do not anticipate VR to continue its growth. It helps explain some of the common issues that are causing some people to feel VR sickness, but it also explains what can be done to fix the possible issues during the design phase. Understanding the technical aspects that can be built into VR systems only strengthens my argument that VR is expanding at a rapid pace into mainstream society. As with any introduction of new ideas, there will be time spent to improve the experiences as problems or concerns arise.
This documentary was created and shared by the TED talks platform. This is a reputable source for reaching a wide audience with carefully chosen speakers for short, power talks on various topics. Chris Milk is a well-known storyteller turned music and film producer. He actively uses VR technology and describes it as “the last medium”. In this TED Documentary, Milk is preparing the audience to try the google cardboard platform for the first time. He begins his talk by explaining how his first interactions with music had him awe-inspired. Now, he uses music in his films to help build empathy with viewers. With the advancements in VR technology, he is able to take that one step further and move people into the medium. Milk views VR as an experience as his words clearly express, “ You feel your way inside of it. It's a machine, but inside of it, it feels like real life, it feels like truth. And you feel present in the world that you're inside and you feel present with the people that you're inside of it with.” (5:18) Milk specifically explains the detailed process of using multiple 3D cameras and binaural microphones to create a sphere of the world the viewer will immerse themselves inside. He finally instructs the audience to put on their headsets and then he narrates as they watch, listen, and experience this technology for the first time. People are visibly moving their heads up and down and reacting in amazement. Viewers are able to turn their heads and both see and hear what is happening in the created world. Milk created this film in a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan so the viewers would be able to fully understand and empathize with the difficulties people experience. He is working with the United Nations to create more films in order to “connect humans to other humans in a profound way...and it can change people’s perception of each other”(9:33) This source will help my essay in the introduction or conclusion and the education portion, as I can share how VR has the potential to help people become better connected, more passionate, and empathetic. It is a great example describing how VR can make people feel. It will also help with some of the specific details of the materials needed to create a high-quality VR experience.
This magazine article is a quick glimpse into the rapidly developing uses for VR technology. The technology writer, Marcello Miranda, took on the challenge to compile a list and brief explanation for the many ways VR is currently being used, plus where it has potential to soon be applied. Miranda looked at VR application through the lenses of; Productivity and Training, Academia and Research, Real Estate, Manufacturing and Design, Medicine, and Visualization. His explanations work to explain how the public and businesses can benefit from technological advancements. I will use this article as another way to help me organize and sort my final paper layout. VR has the possibility to impact so many sectors that it is easy to become overwhelmed and lose focus on just a few main areas. It also serves as a reminder about the expansive use of this technology, which may change many interactions as we now know them to exist.
Park, C.S. "The Dark Shadow of Virtual Reality." Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age, Vol 3, Iss 1, pp 1-2. EBSCOhost, sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url= http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsdoj&AN=edsdoj.0c1055ee15634446966534a427f2e308&site=eds-live. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018. This is a scholarly article, from Korea, accessed through the library database. It is a source that displays the world-wide focus on Virtual Reality technology as it is rapidly expanding. The Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age is a source based on research from experts to help examine some real concerns that people have with this rapidly advancing technology. Park’s article, “The Dark Shadow of Virtual Reality”, talks about how even though VR has potential to be a good thing, it has potential problems depending on the purpose of its use. Although the article begins by looking at nursing education, it quickly widens the research field to include other applications. Park says “the advance in VR technology is value-neutral as with all things, whether something is good or bad depends on how humans use it” (1). There has not been enough time to have enough research to fully evaluate the effectiveness of using VR as the technology continues its rapid advancements. Some of the VR innovations are helping educational methods to have more immersion in studies, but the advances are happening so fast that the harmful influences have been unable to be reviewed. For some users, a VR platform becomes a false world which may influence young people to have a false identity. Park shared an example of a young couple becoming so immersed in the video game platform that they neglected to help their own baby. Another example told of adolescents becoming vulnerable to adult video fantasy, which could lower their inhibitions and ultimately lead to higher teenage pregnancy rates. Park concludes her research by suggesting people remain conscious of the possible interpersonal harm that can accompany the advancing VR technology. This source is helpful for my research, as it takes the opposing view to my thesis. Along with improvements in any field, the chance for difficulties typically exists. Park’s article helps shed a light on some of the concerns people have about VR technology as it begins to infiltrate our daily lives. Her quote about value-neutral is an interesting view to take into consideration. Scoble, Robert, and Shel Israel. The Fourth Transformation: How Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence Change Everything. Patrick Brewster Press, 2017.
This book was recently published by technology researchers and speakers, Robert Scoble and Shel Israel, who are globally-known technology speakers and authors. It is a respected educational book listed on OhioLINK. Scoble and Israel use this book to guide businesses through the Fourth Transformation as technology changing daily practices. This book views virtual reality’s impact through three main categories: Game Changers, Business Changers, and World Changers. The chapters on Game Changers review the details of major stepping stones in the Virtual Reality movement. The Business Changers chapters go more in-depth to specific areas like shopping, healthcare, and education. Specifics of the technology’s current and potential capacities are reviewed. The final section, World Changers, takes a few chapters to consider what could go wrong during this time of transformative change. Scoble and Israel say, “The Fourth Transformation, now unfolding, will take us from the current era of mobile into the Age of Spatial Computing where the world is our interface” (129). This source will allow me to build a complete discussion about the reality of VR technology as a mainstream tool. The authors have compiled rich data that helps map out the past, present, and future of VR technological advances and how they impact people on a daily basis. Their examples take into account both the changes that are coming and how people may positively or negatively react.
Nick Scott is a writer and reporter that worked to research VR technology and to interview technology experts. This scholarly article was accessed through the Sinclair library database. It was originally published in Director, a magazine designed for business to remain informed about upcoming entrepreneurs and business world leaders. Scott’s article discusses the increasing importance of Virtual Reality (VR) as it is emerging into the business realm and promising to transform how business and working lives as the technology is improving. He acknowledges that the technology that was once only alluded to has now become available due to developments. Scott credits Facebook’s 2014 purchase of the Oculus VR headset and Sony’s 2016 PlayStation 4 video console headset as a moment that “shifted VR firmly into the mainstream of entertainment technology”(48). Scott dives into some of the past downfalls of VR capability, explaining that the potential was there back in 1980 but the computer processing speed was not able to handle the task. People who viewed the early, costly, simple pictures that moved slower than a head movement often experienced motion sickness and interest faded. Now, computer processors are more powerful and the software costs are lowering. Scott dives into the reality of saving money by reliance on VR technology. Fields such as the military, aerospace, nuclear work, engineers, automotive operations, marketing, and training can have true costs savings. Physical stores may be needed less, as retailers can use VR technology to give customers access to a shopping experience without a physically stocked store. The developing technology of feeling virtual objects, haptics, will help VR progress in training, shopping, and museum object discovery. Companies can connect a team of multiple users into one virtual location, which saves time and money on travel. Acknowledging that there are still a few kinks in the system that need to be worked out before VR is a mass market item, Scott examines some of the technology developments that are in the works and will soon propel the use of technology. Dr. Emine Mine Thompson, a program leader of MSc Future Cities course at Northumbria University, is watching miniaturization, haptics, and Augmented Reality developments which are leading VR to “increasingly becoming part of our lives, and understanding of the world”(51). I will use some of the specific examples of current technology and uses for VR, as well as the developing technology to answer my questions about the widespread use of VR for the general population. This article explains multiple reasons why entertainment through business applications will continue increasing their use of VR technology.