Virtual reality

Virtual reality is a computer-generated environment that users can explore and interact with, typically through a head-mounted display and motion tracking. It creates a sense of presence by responding to users’ movements and actions.

Head-mounted display: A wearable display positioned before the eyes, often showing separate images to create stereoscopic vision. It places the virtual scene directly in the user’s field of view.
Virtual reality therapy: The use of immersive simulations as part of psychological or physical treatment. Controlled virtual settings can support exposure therapy and rehabilitation exercises.
Augmented reality: Technology that overlays computer-generated content onto a view of the physical world. Unlike virtual reality, it keeps the physical environment visible as the main setting.
Sensorama: A 1960s multisensory arcade machine that presented short, stereoscopic films with sound and physical effects. Morton Heilig’s machine anticipated immersive experiences before modern computer-driven headsets.
Presence (virtual reality): The subjective feeling of being located in a mediated or simulated environment. A sense of presence is a central effect that virtual reality systems aim to produce.
Motion tracking: The measurement of an object’s position and orientation over time. Tracking head and body movement lets the environment respond to users’ actions.
Flight simulator: A system that reproduces aircraft controls and flight conditions for training or research. Virtual environments let pilots practise procedures without taking an aircraft into the air.
Mixed reality: Technology that combines physical and digital objects so they can appear to interact. Its digital objects are anchored to the physical world rather than replacing it entirely.
Sword of Damocles: An early head-mounted computer display developed by Ivan Sutherland and Bob Sproull in 1968. Its tracked display demonstrated computer-generated imagery that changed with head movement.
Cybersickness: Nausea, dizziness, or other discomfort associated with exposure to virtual environments or displays. Visual motion that conflicts with bodily sensations can make virtual reality uncomfortable.

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