VirtuSphere is a

spherical A sphere () is a geometrical object that is a three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. A sphere is the set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three-dimensional space.. That given point is the ce ...

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...

device. It consists of a 10-foot hollow sphere, which is placed on a special platform that allows the sphere to rotate freely in any direction according to the user’s steps. It works with computer based

simulations A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or process, whereas the s ...

and

virtual world A virtual world (also called a virtual space) is a computer-simulated environment which may be populated by many users who can create a personal avatar, and simultaneously and independently explore the virtual world, participate in its activities ...

s, and rotates as the user walks, allowing for an unlimited

plane Plane(s) most often refers to: * Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft * Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface Plane or planes may also refer to: Biology * Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant * ''Planes' ...

upon which the user can walk. A wireless

head-mounted display A head-mounted display (HMD) is a display device, worn on the head or as part of a helmet (see Helmet-mounted display for aviation applications), that has a small display optic in front of one ( monocular HMD) or each eye ( binocular HMD). An ...

with gyroscopes is used to both track the user's head movement as well as display the environment of the virtual world. VirtuSphere can serve many purposes, including exercise,

video gaming Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedback ...

, military training, and virtual museum tours. The VirtuSphere is a creation of Ray and Nurulla Latypov, whose company, VirtuSphere Inc, is based in Binghamton, New York.

Applications

Markets and applications for Virtusphere include: *Military, law enforcement, and other dangerous occupations that require a safe training environment *Gaming and entertainment *Health and fitness *Museums and other educational installations *Virtual tours of architectural and construction projects Lockheed Martin has used the VirtuSphere as an input device in a manned simulator at the

Mounted Warfare TestBed Mounted Warfare TestBed (MWTB) at Fort Knox, Kentucky, was the premier site for distributed simulation experiments in the US Army for over 20 years. It used simulation systems, including fully manned virtual simulators and computer-generated forces ...

(MWTB) at Fort Knox, KY. This simulator incorporates the sphere into a single-soldier simulator that is compatible with the

Distributed Interactive Simulation Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) is an IEEE standard for conducting real-time platform-level wargaming across multiple host computers and is used worldwide, especially by military organizations but also by other agencies such as those invo ...

and High level architecture protocols. The simulator is composed of the sphere, a pair of infrared mice to track the sphere’s movements, Intersense trackers on the user’s head and weapon, an image generator on a laptop, display goggles for the user, and a simulator host computer, all on a wireless network. Using this simulator, the user can interact with other simulated entities, whether provided by separate manned simulators like the Advanced Concepts Research Tool (ACRT), or by computer-generated forces systems like OneSAF. The simulator is used at the MWTB for experiments that examine future weapon systems and tactics and for evaluating soldiers.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Site

Cybersphere
a similar device developed by the

University of Warwick , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (2020� ...

and virtual reality company VR Systems UK.
7 min. video and interview with creators
of VirtuSphere and transcript. Virtual reality

Applications

See also

References

External links