Telecommunications applications of virtual reality

There has been a great deal said about the relative merits of the desktop and inclusive modes of virtual reality, but much of this appears to be commercial posturing on behalf of some suppliers. From the perspective of GEC three technological trends are evident. Firstly, developments are already underway which will rapidly improve the quality of the peripheral devices required for inclusive VR. Secondly, the two modes are beginning to merge: head-mounted displays and tracked input devices are already being mounted on augmented PC systems and graphics workstations. The third trend is towards visual displays which are intermediate between the desktop and inclusive modes. These trends point towards modular systems which can be mixed and matched to the requirements of applications. GEC has many potential applications for virtual reality, but one area where it is expected to have a particularly significant impact is telecommunications. The author discusses virtual reality as an interface to telecommunications systems, the GEC Virtual Reality Applications Project and a design methodology for applications