Being the buzz today and currently experiencing a strong development, virtual reality has been around for quite a while. After some visionary trials in the fifties (as the “Sensorama” shown here), true projects came up in the seventies, more and more advanced. Due to underdeveloped electronics and power-limited computers at that time, no experience was really convincing.
We had to wait for 2010 for virtual reality to pop up again after the announcement of the Oculus Rift headset which provided an incredible experience for a very reasonable price. All conditions did meet for mass adoption and planetary excitement ! Since 2010, competition among manufacturers drives product quality improvement and continuous innovation; every semester virtual reality makes giant leaps forward.

Although a computer and a screen are a (simple) way the visualize a virtual world (a future house for example), it is quite limited and stationary. Another point of view requires a mouse move; images are just flat. It makes it very hard to get “immersed” in what we see !
For a visualization to be intuitive and identical to reality, we use the headset. This device displays images in 3D and its sensors keep track of where we look.

Masterpiece of every virtual reality system, dozen of them exist on the market, each one with its own characteristics. All of them share the unique common goal of making your experience as close to reality : you can look around you, get down, jump, walk. 3D images feeling close or far away are surprising and you can very soon find yourself trying to touch virtual object with your hands.
VirtualWalk only works with the best headsets, with impressive performances. You will rapidly forget you are wearing them !

Sound is another very important element of all virtual reality demonstrations. There is always something to hear, even the quietest places. It is therefore important to take it into account, so that the perceived sound reacts according to our head orientation and our movements… as in reality !

If we want virtual reality to be as intuitive as possible, we have to forget keyboard, mouse and other devices to interact with our surroundings. What is more simple than our own hands ? There are several controllers packed with sensors to hold in your hands and keeping track of them; or even special gloves recording each of our finger’s movement. Once you have your VR headset on, you can then use your hands to grab virtual objects and manipulate them, as in reality.

The one thing VirtualWalk particularly cares about is walking around !
In order to physically walk and move in the virtual world, we need sensors (like cameras) to track our movements. Quite often limited by cables length from headset to PC, there are also wireless systems available. These expensive systems now become cheaper, leading to incredible perspectives : visit your future house by actually walking around the rooms, explore a garden from the other side of the world, walk down the aisles of a future shop, and why not walk on a tightrope above Grand Canyon !

Virtual reality equipment is of course needed for an intuitive experience, but the virtual world has to be convincing and nice to look at. That is why 3D images quality has to be high. Current IT power and 3D imaging technologies lead today to experiences where your eyes barely see the difference between real and virtual world !
Each trimester, graphical limits are pushed forward and equipment evolves; that is why we constantly invest to propose what works best.