Close encounters of the virtual kind

The brain activity of humans and many other animals is dominated by processing visual images relative to body position. This is not to sell short other sensory paths such as heaving or smell, which are also exquisitely sensitive. The complexity of visual interpretation requires a very interactive and highly parallel brain function. It is not surprising that VR, which depends on interactivity between sensing and the kinetic domains of the body, has emphasized visual applications. Virtual reality is now being used to enhance other senses like touch and hearing. The key contribution of VR is the ability to interact with the human brain at a higher and more creative level than you might experience by looking at a monitor screen, or reading print from the page as you are doing now. At the present time most VR demonstrations have the appearance of being a solution in search of a problem. Applications that truly exploit the power of this technology will surely continue to develop as more people experience the effect of VR and learn how to harness and then to leverage the power in this mode of communication