Virtual Reality

Computer vision systems can struggle to make sense of a single image, but a new method enables computers to gain a deeper understanding of an image by reasoning about the physical constraints of the scene.

Virtual characters can behave according to actions carried out unconsciously by humans. Researchers have created a system which measures human physiological parameters, such as respiration or heart rate, and introduces them into computer designed characters in real time.

Virtual characters can behave according to actions carried out unconsciously by humans. Researchers have created a system which measures human physiological parameters, such as respiration or heart rate, and introduces them into computer designed characters in real time.

A combination of the biology of marine mammals, mechanical vibrations and acoustics has led to a breakthrough discovery allowing scientists to better understand the potential harmful effects of sound on marine mammals such as whales and dolphins.

Teenage online community users feel part of their online community almost as much as they feel part of their own family. An international study of the users of a teenage online community reveals that users identify more strongly with the online community than with their neighborhood or offline hobby group.

A new study examines information processing and finds that human behavior is systematic, not random, demonstrating a trade-off between input and out. The study also points to limitations to information processing. These exchanges are pretty much equal and opposite, much like the laws of the conservation of momentum and energy, according to the study.

A new study examines information processing and finds that human behavior is systematic, not random, demonstrating a trade-off between input and out. The study also points to limitations to information processing. These exchanges are pretty much equal and opposite, much like the laws of the conservation of momentum and energy, according to the study.

Today's college students were raised with a digital mouse in their hands. So it should be no surprise that a majority of medical school students surveyed say video games and virtual reality environments could help them become better doctors. For example, a virtual environment could help medical students learn how to interview a patient or run a patient clinic.

Parrots are famed for their ability to mimic sounds and now researchers have used "virtual mates" to discover if female parrots judge male contact calls when deciding on a mate. The research challenges traditional understandings of the difference between birds "songs" and "calls."

Old or young, beautiful or sinister - the choices are endless when designing an avatar or a virtual alter ego. In the end, do people choose one that is really different from themselves? Usually not, according to new research that shows in most cases, avatars reflect the personality of their creators. The study has implications for real-life companies who would like to reach both the virtual and real-world markets.

To understand a protein, it helps to get inside of it, and a professor has now figured out a way to do so. A new computer software program and projection system lets a person look at larger-than-life, 3-D structures of proteins in virtual reality. This allows scientists to walk inside, through or around the protein of interest for investigating its structure and function.

A new study analyzing interactions between players in a virtual universe game has for the first time provided large-scale evidence to prove an 80-year-old psychological theory called Structural Balance Theory. The research shows that individuals tend to avoid stress-causing relationships when they develop a society, resulting in more stable social networks.

A new research project is set to play a vital role in continuing research into viable alternatives to invasive autopsies, which many families find to be unpleasant.

It is predicted that 80 percent of active Internet consumers and Fortune 500 companies will have an avatar or presence in a virtual community, including social networks, by the end of 2011. A new article investigates the role avatars play in the virtual and consumer environment, how well avatars reflect the personality of their creators, the psychology behind self-representation, and how these virtually made identities are perceived by other members of the virtual community.

Food presented in a virtual reality environment causes the same emotional responses as real food. Researchers compared the responses of people with anorexia and bulimia, and a control group, to the virtual and real-life snacks, suggesting that virtual food can be used for the evaluation and treatment of eating disorders.

As recession-weary consumers learn to make do with less in this, the real world, there is one area where they're still willing to spend freely: in online, "virtual" ones. A Florida researcher is studying the growing market for virtual products, particularly in Internet virtual worlds, and has identified several factors that appear to increase the likelihood that people will make these types of purchases.

Personal computers in enterprise environments save energy and money by "sleep-working," thanks to new software called SleepServer. Sleep-working enterprise PCs are accessible via remote connections and maintain their presence on voice over IP, instant messaging, and peer-to-peer networks even though the PCs are in low-power sleep mode. SleepServer can reduce energy consumption on enterprise PCs previously running 24/7 by an average of 60 percent.

Montreal researchers' innovative use of virtual reality to tap into the power of brain plasticity is emerging as a major technique in brain recovery for stroke patients.

Two robotics events were designed to prove the viability of advanced technologies for robotic automation of manufacturing and microrobotics.

Researchers in Spain have developed a new therapy based on the use of mobile devices and virtual reality for the psychological treatment of patients suffering from fibromyalgia.