VR enables you create a virtual world that is barely different from reality. The feeling of being present in a virtual world is therefore central to the experience. VR offers you the ability to perform tasks and tests within this virtual world, which can be adapted to the individual’s characteristics and needs.
Through sensors in controllers and cameras, consoles and PCs allow for exergaming, so that exercises can be performed and recorded. VR systems also work with sensors. These sensor tracking systems are a crucial part of a VR system. Usually, a head tracker ensures that the user’s field of view can be registered. This causes the image to move when looking up, down or side, or when the angle of the head changes. Commonly used sensors include gyroscopes, accelerometers and magnetometers. In addition, to measure movements of the head and eyes, cameras and eye trackers can be used.
However, the use of sensors in Virtual Reality (VR) does not stop with the head; there are motion trackers for each body part, such as hands and legs. Many of these sensors work with a combination of tracking in the headset and external sensors in the room. For this purpose, infrared sensors, controllers or cameras can be used. However, there are many more ways to track positions, as well as using magnets and acoustics. Experiments are also being carried out with, among other things, treadmills and bodysuits.
Body tracking with sensors can include movements like jumping and bending, but fine motor skills can also be recorded. This allows completely new VR applications, which allows for interaction with (objects in) the virtual world. In addition, combinations with haptic feedback can be made, so the user actually feels it when he picks up a virtual object and even experiences the texture of it. Using a camera or bodysuit eliminates the need for a traditional controller; the person becomes the controller as it were.
