In this closeup of the sample on the preceding 

 page, atomic-level structures of carbon nngs at 

 the surface are seen. A button permits energy to 

 be supplied on demand through the STM tip to 

 modify the surface by breaking bonds, displacing 

 various structures and enabling physical and 

 chemical reactions. 



ogy can be applied to many tasks that would be 

 more difficult to do by other methods. 



The view of the simulation that a person sees is 

 an encompassing "immersion" perspective that 

 appears to be from a position inside the simula- 

 tion itself. By changing the view with head 

 motion and orientation, VR "engages" a human's 

 visual perception, vestibular system, sense of 

 balance, cognition and motor reactions to such 

 an extent that the immersion scenario is experi- 

 enced as real. 



With VR technology, a human and a computer 

 operate together as a combined system, one that 

 is far more capable than either taken individually 

 when performing a large Nuriety of tasks. For 

 example, the environment is particularly well- 

 suited to support reaction to unanticipated sce- 

 narios, ones that can exploit the corrective judg- 

 ment of a person or of skilled teams of experts. 



This enabling technology can he used to improve 

 productivity in many important areas. There are 



numerous applications in the domains of health 

 care, education and lifelong learning, manufac- 

 turing and other areas where this technology 

 shows great promise. Early results have shown 

 increased productivity and a dramatic reduction 

 of resource requirements in many instances. 

 Examples of current use include; 



Q Manipulation of molecules for develop- 

 ment of nanotechnology devices and 

 chemical systems. 



□ Shared surgical interventions. 



□ Exploration of networked databases and 



digital libraries for learning and research. 



□ Modeling, simulation, and analyses. 



□ Scientific and technical visualization 



applications. 



□ Prototyping and planning. 



□ Training for and monitoring of complex 



human-computer tasks. 



In order to keep pace with real-time interaction, 

 VR technology must be supported by high per- 

 formance computers, associated software and 

 high bandwidth network capabilities. VR also 

 requires developing new technologies in displays 

 that update in real-time with head motion; 

 advances in sensory feedback such as force, 

 touch, texture, temperature, and smell; and, 

 intelligent models of environments. 



With future increases in technological capability 

 VR holds the promise to provide significant 

 improvements in many new application areas. 



SPONSORING AGENCIES AND 

 ORGANIZATIONS 



NASA 



NIH 



NSF 



PERFORMING ORGANIZATIONS 



University of California - Los Angeles 

 University of North Carolina 



144 



