24 Visualization Using Virtual Reality

24.1.2 Virtual Reality What we now often refer to as virtual reality was first proposed in the 1960s [16,38,39]. In addition to the term ‘‘virtual reality,’’ many other terms such as ‘‘virtual environments,’’ ‘‘synthetic environments,’’ ‘‘virtual worlds,’’ and ‘‘artificial reality’’ have been used. Virtual reality has the capability of providing sensory information of sufficient fidelity that the user can, in some cases, ‘‘suspend disbelief’’ and accept that he or she is actually somewhere else [10]. Further, the technology can also support perceptual interaction with the synthetic environment, enabling the user to transcend the role of passive observer and actively participate in shaping events [28]. A thorough, but somewhat dated, review can be found in the report of a National Research Council committee chartered to examine virtual reality in the mid-1990s [13]. For the purpose of this chapter, virtual reality will be defined as