Virtual Reality: Concepts and Technologies

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 reality2. Theoretical and pragmatic approach to virtual reality II. The human being in virtual environments 3. Human senses4. Interaction between virtual reality and behavioural sciences5. Immersion and presence III. Behavioural interfaces6. Location sensors7. Manual motor interfaces8. Hardware devices of force feedback interfaces 9. Control of a force feedback interface10. Tactile feedback interfaces11. Visual interfaces12. Interaction techniques for virtual behavioural primitives13. Stereoscopic restitution of vision IV. Tools and models for virtual environments14. Geometric models of virtual environments15. Models for visual rendering16. Models for haptic rendering17. Collision detection

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 applicationsin industry.Guillaume Moreau is Associate Professor at Ecole Centrale Nantes Schoolof Engineering and his research topics are GIS, Virtual and Augmented Realityand Computer vision.Pascal Guitton is full Professor at the University of Bordeaux. He isPresident of the French national association of Virtual Reality (AFRV) andthe Director of Research at INRIA.