Virtual and Augmented Reality

Abstract

Ding. The elevator doors open on a magnificent skyline... and then you look down. You’re standing on the edge of a building, a hundred stories off the ground. At your feet, a wooden plank extends 6 feet over the ledge in front of you. “Walk,” you hear a voice say. Against your better judgment, you inch out slowly, taking step over cautious step. As you reach the edge, you feel your stomach drop, and you almost lose your balance. However, you stabilize as the wind whistles around you. “Step off the plank,” the voice says. At this point, most people refuse to step off the plank, paralyzed by fear. Why would you want to fall to your death? However, you know that you are currently in virtual reality, seeing all of this through a headset strapped onto your face. You’re in a classroom, so there’s no way you’d get hurt. Of course you’d step off the plank. But your feet won’t move.