Presence in immersive virtual environments

Immersive virtual environments (IVEs) provide a tightly coupled human-computer interface; input to the sensory organs of the human participant are directly generated through computer displays, in the visual, auditory, tactile and haptic modalities. Some of the results of a pilot experimental study of presence in IVEs are outlined. This is a contribution to a project involved in constructing a system for architectural walkthrough, where architects and their clients are able to navigate through and effect changes to a virtual building interior. Emphasis is placed on the interface provided by the virtual environment generator (VEG) to the human user, and initially on the problem of the establishment of the presence of the human inside the virtual environment (VE)