Virtual Reality Laboratory for Medical Applications

Virtual reality (VR) is the term given to a new human computer interface, and illusion is the key component. The aim is to give the user the illusion of an alternative reality. Immersive environments are often named in this context and describe VR systems that are intended to block out the real world and help the user become part of the virtual scene. Building virtual environments (VEs) requires the understanding not only of the existing technical components but also of the pattern and behavior of human perception.

The aim of this chapter is to give a description of a VR laboratory in the context of medical applications. In 1990, the author started to set up a test bed for three-dimensional (3-D) input and output devices at the Technical University of Berlin. This led to the installation of a VR laboratory, which, was moved into the medical environment at the University Hospital Benjamin Franklin (UKBF), as part of the Free University of Berlin.

To set up the VR laboratory, user and task analyses must be performed. A VR system is composed of different components, which are explained and described by example. The individual components must be carefully selected, depending on their functionality and their use within the medical environment. The devices need to be regarded from the point of view of their technical description and their limitations. The advantages of the individual components, however, are not the only criteria for choosing them, because the interrelation with the system must also be taken into account. The costs are often an important limiting factor for influencing the choice of a particular device.