Introduction: The three I’s of virtual reality, commercial VR technology and the five classic components of a VR system. VR design principles, Input Devices: Three-dimensional position trackers, navigation and manipulation, interfaces and gesture interfaces. Output Devices: Graphics displays, sound displays & haptic feedback. Modelling: Geometric modelling, kinematics modelling, physical modelling, behaviour modelling, model management. Human Factors: Methodology and terminology, user performance studies, VR health and safety issues. Applications: Medical applications, military applications, robotics applications. VR in Unity 3D, Haptic Interfaces with VR and AR.
Suggested Lab Sessions:
· Design and implement a simple interactive VR environment using Unity 3D.
· Analyse and simulate VR input and output device functionalities. Unity 3D with relevant input libraries; optional: Arduino for external haptic device simulation.
· Implement geometric and physical modelling for realistic VR interaction. Model a simple robotic arm in VR demonstrating:
o Geometric modelling for structure
o Kinematics for joint movement
o Physical modelling for collision detection and realistic behaviour.
· Evaluate human factors in VR and explore domain-specific applications. Conduct a user performance study comparing traditional vs VR-based object manipulation tasks (record time and errors).