About Book

Virtual reality refers to advanced and complex computer technologies and software which create sounds, images and environments around the user in order to provide with an interactive and realistic surrounding. It is a computer interfaces which tries to mimic real world beyond the flat monitor to give an immersive 3D (Three Dimension) visual experiences. Often it is hard to reconstruct the scales and distances between objects in static 2D images. Thus, the third dimension helps bringing depth to objects. It enables the user to walk around, interact with the objects of the artificially made world with help of display screens, projectors or a virtual reality headset. Today the Virtual reality (VR) technology is applied to advance fields of medicine, engineering, education, design, training, and entertainment. This book is a compilation of chapters that discuss the most vital concepts in the field of virtual reality. It deals with virtual reality tools, evaluation method, immersive virtual reality, product design and brain imaging studies, games, mobile virtual reality, digital factory, educational tool and diagnostic radiology. The various subfields within this area of study along with the technological progress that have future implications are glanced at in this book. It is an essential guide for both graduates and postgraduates in the fields of software engineering, educational technology research and information system.

Preface............................................................................................................v

Chapter 1 Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality: Initial Successes in Diagnostic Radiology.................................................................................1

Abstract...................................................................................................1

1. Introduction............................................................................................1

2. Current state-of-the-art diagnostic medical imaging.....................3

3. Review of AR/VR in diagnostic radiology....................................11

4. Conclusions..........................................................................................21

Conflict of interest..............................................................................21

Chapter 2 A Bibliometric Study on the Use of Virtual Reality (VR) as an Educational Tool for High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Children.........................................................................................25

Abstract.................................................................................................25

1. Introduction..........................................................................................26

2. Method..................................................................................................28

3. Results...................................................................................................30

4. Discussion.............................................................................................40

5. Conclusions..........................................................................................43

Chapter 3 Digital Factory and Virtual Reality: Teaching Virtual Reality Principles with Game Engines..............................................................51

Abstract.................................................................................................51

1. Introduction..........................................................................................52

2. State of the art.....................................................................................54

3. Digital Factory and Virtual Reality.................................................59

4. DigiTov..................................................................................................59

5. Lectures in DFVR................................................................................63

6. Practical classes in DFVR..................................................................65

7. Summer school of virtual reality.....................................................66

8. Other outputs.......................................................................................69

9. Conclusion............................................................................................70

Acknowledgements.............................................................................72

Chapter 4 Mobile Virtual Reality — An Approach for Safety

Management...............................................................................................75

1. Introduction..........................................................................................75

2. Real-world data collection.................................................................78

3. Scenarios identification......................................................................81

4. Program development........................................................................85

5. Merits of MVR.....................................................................................88

6. Conclusions..........................................................................................90

Chapter 5 Games for Health: Have Fun with Virtual Reality!.........................94

1. Introduction..........................................................................................94

2. The “fun part”.....................................................................................96

3. Side effects of playing digital games..............................................98

4. Positive effects of virtual reality and digital games..................100

5. Ethical challenges..............................................................................104

6. Conclusion..........................................................................................106

Chapter 6 Applications of Virtual Reality Technology in Brain

Imaging Studies .....................................................................................114

1. Introduction........................................................................................114

2. Measuring brain function in virtual reality environments .....115

3. Applications to studies of clinical disorders ..............................124

4. Brain-computer interfaces, real-time neuroimaging, and virtual

reality .................................................................................................132

5. Conclusion .........................................................................................135

Acknowledgement ...........................................................................136

Chapter 7 A Discussion of the Use of Virtual Reality in Dementia ...........147

1. Introduction ......................................................................................147

2. Dementia and its impact on well-being ......................................147

3. The importance of environment ...................................................149

4. Other media used in the area of dementia ................................151

5. Immersive virtual environment technology and individuals with

dementia ............................................................................................153

6. Presence and dementia ...................................................................154

7. Potential of virtual reality as an assessment tool in

dementia ............................................................................................156

8. Potential of virtual reality as a training tool in dementia ......157

9. Conclusion .........................................................................................158

Chapter 8 Facilitating User Involvement in Product Design Through

Virtual Reality ........................................................................................164

1. Introduction ......................................................................................164

2. Background .......................................................................................165

3. Framework ........................................................................................167

4. Case studies ......................................................................................168

5. Review ...............................................................................................182

6. Conclusion .........................................................................................184

Chapter 9 High Fidelity Immersive Virtual Reality ........................................187

1. Introduction........................................................................................187

2. High fidelity virtual reality.............................................................190

3. Applications.......................................................................................203

4. Future challenges..............................................................................206

5. Conclusions........................................................................................207

Chapter 10 A Novel Rehabilitation Evaluation Method on Virtual Reality Based on RRR-I .....................................................................................210

1. Introduction ......................................................................................210

2. The PNF technology in upper limb rehabilitation ...................212

3. Design of RRR-I ...............................................................................213

4. Transformation of coordinate ........................................................218

5. Strategies of upper limb rehabilitation .......................................221

6. Medical training design and data analysis based on virtual

reality .................................................................................................223

7. Conclusion .........................................................................................227

Chapter 11 A Survey of Some Virtual Reality Tools and Resources.............230

1. Introduction........................................................................................230

2. Virtual reality technology ..............................................................231

3. Some VR technology resource companies ..................................233

4. The history of hardware components for VR application

development .....................................................................................236

5. Software tools for VR application development .......................247

6. Conclusion .........................................................................................254

Citation......................................................................................................259

Index...........................................................................................................261

About Author

Benedict Thornburg pursued his Masters in Multimedia from Technological University, Selangor. He is a Visiting Professor at Technical Institute, Bangkok. He has been the recipient of two awards for his research work in the field of virtual reality headset and virtual reality simulators. Thornburg has also been an invited speaker at various international conferences on virtual reality. He has travelled and lectured extensively through Europe and United States primarily for higher education. He has written several articles and research papers on virtual reality.