Reality substitution on track to replace traditional virtual reality
Until recently, virtual reality's widespread use, both commercially and in scientific research, has been hampered by the need to develop custom virtual worlds using labor-intensive 3D animation. Researchers and engineers from EPFL's Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and the W Science Initiative are unveiling a Reality Substitution prototype on March 30th at The Brain Forum that could change all of that. The project, known as RealiSM, has developed an easy-to-use virtual world creator that captures real-world situations to be played back in head-mounted displays (HMD). The system will soon be employed in the lab to study memory and peri-personal space (the space defined by what is within one's reach) and will have numerous clinical uses for treating phobias and PTSD therapy.