Virtual Technology Review

VR (virtual reality) is a computer-based technology that creates three-dimensional (3D) environments that allow users to explore virtual worlds and interact with them through various devices. Virtual reality can be experienced using mobile device screens, head-mounted displays, or VR goggles. VR allows the user to interact with 3D models of bodies and spaces in a first-person mode. These models are called avatars.

Ivan Sutherland, a Harvard University professor in www.iptech.one/sega-genesis-mini-hack/ 1968, created a head-mounted display system that was viable (figure 1-17). The display was made up of miniature cathode ray tubes that offered stereoscopic images for each eye, and mechanical and ultrasonic tracking to allow user movement in a virtual environment. The VR technology platform was developed because of the advances in computer graphics and computer processing. Oxford Medical Systems, the precursor to Vicon Motion Systems, develops the first commercial motion capture (MoCap) system in 1984. Silicon Graphics, Inc. is the company that develops the VLSI Graphics Engine which provides an extremely fast workstation that has been used by many VR facilities for years.

It has been shown that VR has the ability to improve the knowledge and skills of health professionals education when as compared to less interactive digital learning activities. However, it is not certain if these benefits translate into positive outcomes for patients. VR has been shown to reduce both the health care provider as well as the patient’s stress. Nijland et al found that ICU nurses who utilized VR relaxation during their breaks experienced significantly lower stress levels than those not using VR. However, it is important to recognize that the duration of the VR application may cause overstimulation and even cybersickness in certain patients.