Introduction to Virtual Reality

Abstract

The introductory chapter begins with the basic definitions of virtual reality, virtual presence and related concepts. It provides an overview of the history of virtual reality, from its origins in the 1950s to the present day. It also covers some of the most important applications, from flight simulators to biomedical uses. Finally, it briefly describes the main feedback loops used in virtual reality and the human biological systems used to interpret and act on information from the virtual world. © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014.