The Current Stage of Full Immersion Virtual Reality: A Journey to the Future

Introduction

Virtual reality (VR) has come a long way since its early days, with the recent advancements in hardware and software bringing us closer to the dream of full immersion. In this article, we will explore the current stage of VR, particularly focusing on full immersion, and discuss how close we are to achieving the ultimate goal: the “full dive” virtual reality experience.

What is Full Immersion in VR?

The term "full immersion" in VR can be deceiving. Many people assume it involves being so engrossed that you forget the physical world around you, similar to how one might lose themselves in a book or a movie. However, from a technical perspective, "full immersion" goes beyond this.

Full immersion, in the stricter sense, means experiencing VR as if it were reality itself. This involves convincing every sense without any perceptible artifacts. Current VR technologies struggle to achieve this, as they lack the sophistication in rendering and sensory simulation to mimic all the nuances of the real world.

Current Stage of Full Immersion VR

While contemporary VR technology offers unprecedented levels of immersion, it still falls short of full immersion. Let's break down the current stage and explore the technologies that are driving us towards full immersion:

360-Degree Scenes

Contemporary VR heads-up displays (HMDs) render 360-degree scenes in 3D, allowing for natural head movements. These systems accommodate 6 degrees of freedom (DOF), providing a sense of presence and interactivity. However, they lack the non-rotational head movement and dynamic scene interaction that is crucial for full immersion.

360-Degree Video

Similar to 360-degree scenes, 360-degree video allows viewers to immerse themselves in a spherical environment. However, current VR systems do not support non-rotational head movement, meaning you cannot move around the scene or shift your head to enhance parallax.

Static 360-Degree Scenes

VR experiences can also use 360-degree static scenes captured from real-world sources, recreating realistic environments through techniques like photogrammetry and LiDAR. While these methods create highly detailed and realistic experiences, they still fall short of full sensory immersion.

Live Action 3D Capture

Live action 3D capture is still in its infancy, but it represents a step towards creating interactive, real-time VR experiences. By capturing 3D live action scenes and recreating them in a synthesized environment, VR can better simulate real-world interactions and movement.

Advanced Audio Support

Advancements in spatialized audio have greatly improved the auditory experience in VR. Technologies like binaural audio and spatial audio allow sound sources to be oriented relative to the viewer's perspective, enhancing the overall immersion. However, even with these advancements, current VR systems still struggle to fully replicate the auditory richness of the real world.

Artifacts and Limitations

Despite the progress made in VR technology, there are significant limitations that prevent us from achieving full immersion. Vision and sound are crucial, but to fully immerse, we need to fool all the senses:

Tactile: Current VR systems lack the necessary sensors to accurately simulate touch and haptic feedback. Olfactory: Olfactory technology is also in its infancy, with limited capability to simulate smells and scents. Thermal Sensation: Simulating temperature and heat remains a significant challenge. Proprioception: Our sense of body position and movement needs to be convincingly replicated in VR. Vestibular Sensation: The inner ear's sense of motion and balance is difficult to simulate accurately.

Michael Abrash’s keynote address at Oculus Connect 2 provides a comprehensive overview of the limitations and future directions of VR technology. His talk emphasizes the need for advancements in these areas to achieve true full immersion.

Conclusion

While full immersion VR is still decades away, the technology continues to evolve rapidly. By addressing the limitations and overcoming the current artifacts, we are inching closer to the future of VR. The journey towards full immersion is not only about hardware improvements but also about innovative software and sensory simulation techniques.