Taylor & Francis Virtual Reality: Recent Advancements, Applications and Challenges (River Publishers Series in Automation, Control, Robotics)

Although the emergence of virtual reality (VR) goes back to the 1960s, with the recent availability of low-cost and high-accuracy systems it has become increasingly prevalent in a wide variety of areas; with uses ranging from training and education to rehabilitation and entertainment. Nowadays, there are many companies that have their own VR systems with various types of headsets and controllers. This has shaped how VR is being used today and how we interact with the latest generation VR systems. With the rapidly evolving dynamics gained through technological advancements, VR is projected to grow and transform the way humans do everyday tasks both in the workplace and in personal lives. In addition to the VR headsets, there are now augmented reality (AR) headsets that allow the user to see their real-world surroundings while also viewing computer generated imagery. This leads to an enhanced user experience. This book aims to provide a comprehensive update of the latest scientific research, mainly in VR and partly in AR, from the last five years. The content is themed around the application areas of training, education, robotics, health and well-being, and user experience. About the Author Lila Bozgeyikli is an Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona's School of Information (iSchool). Her research interests include extended reality, with a focus on blurring the boundary between virtual and real worlds and application of extended reality in improving lives, such as education, training, health and well-being; video game development; human-computer interaction. She earned her PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of South Florida. She has an MSc on Game Technologies.Ren Bozgeyikli is an Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona's School of Information (iSchool). His research interests include interaction (i.e., object manipulation and locomotion) in extended reality, with the aim of improving user experience and leveraging the benefits that are gained by the society from these systems; video game development, algorithms in video games, and human-computer interaction. He earned his PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of South Florida. He has an MSc on Game Technologies.