Reality-who needs it?

The extravagant early promises of virtual reality used in the leisure industry have put off many potential users. But the image of VR is changing almost as fast as the technology. The author describes how, in the UK, Salford-based Advanced Robotics Research Ltd. has been spearheading efforts to draw the attention of British industry to the future gains to be made by adopting VR as the human-machine interface technology for the next century. The project, called VRS (Virtual Reality & Simulation), initially planned as a 2 year programme of work, is aimed not only at keeping British industry abreast of significant international developments in the field, but also at demonstrating to participating companies the commercial value of VR. At the end of the programme, VRS will provide the participating companies with sufficient knowhow to introduce the technologies into their own businesses with minimal technical and financial risk