1st Edition

Virtual Reality: Concepts and Technologies

Edited By Philippe Fuchs, Guillaume Moreau, Pascal Guitton Copyright 2011

    A manual for both designers and users, comprehensively presenting the current state of experts' knowledge on virtual reality (VR) in computer science, mechanics, optics, acoustics, physiology, psychology, ergonomics, ethics, and related area. Designed as a reference book and design guide to help the reader develop a VR project, it presents the reader with the importance of the user’s needs and various aspects of the human computer interface (HCI). It further treats technical aspects of VR, hardware and software implementations, and details on the sensory and psycho-sensory interfaces. Providing various concepts and technologies, including mathematics and modelling techniques, it allows the reader to formalize, conceptualize and construct a virtual reality project from original thought to application. This book is intended for engineers, computer scientists and computer game developers working on various VR applications. It can further serve as an educational tool in Virtual Reality courses for senior graduate and postgraduate students.

    I . Introduction
    1. Introduction to virtual reality       
    2. Theoretical and pragmatic approach to virtual reality   

    II.  The human being in virtual environments
    3. Human senses          
    4. Interaction between virtual reality and behavioural sciences 
    5. Immersion and presence        

    III. Behavioural interfaces
    6. Location sensors         
    7. Manual motor interfaces        
    8. Hardware devices of force feedback interfaces    
    9. Control of a force feedback interface      
    10. Tactile feedback interfaces        
    11. Visual interfaces         
    12. Interaction techniques for virtual behavioural primitives  
    13. Stereoscopic restitution of vision      

    IV.  Tools and models for virtual environments
    14. Geometric models of virtual environments    
    15. Models for visual rendering       
    16. Models for haptic rendering       
    17. Collision detection        

    Biography

    Philippe Fuchs, Professor in Mines ParisTech, School of Engineering
    (Paris), is the leader of the « Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality » team.
    His field of research is the theoretical approach of VR and its applications
    in industry.

    Guillaume Moreau is Associate Professor at Ecole Centrale Nantes School
    of Engineering and his research topics are GIS, Virtual and Augmented Reality
    and Computer vision.

    Pascal Guitton is full Professor at the University of Bordeaux. He is
    President of the French national association of Virtual Reality (AFRV) and
    the Director of Research at INRIA.