= computer-generated 3D environment

VR can simulate reality (simulation) or intentionally go beyond the limits of reality, for example in order to visualise situations that could not be experienced in the same way in reality.

The technical implementation of VR can take one of several different forms. Desktop VR can be implemented with standard PC hardware and controlled through any input device. In full simulators, the user controls realistic reconstructions of machines or means of transport that simulate realistic behaviour through hydraulic systems and acoustic and visual stimuli. Tracking systems register users’ movements or point of gaze through data gloves or head-mounted displays (HMD) and transfer these to the VR. Various combinations are possible.

The main characteristics of VR are the degree of immersion (the user’s sense of being surrounded by the VR environment) and presence (the user’s sense of being present in the VR environment). Interaction options range from merely observing through manipulating and all the way to freely constructing objects. VR offers a particularly high learning potential when several users come together at the same time in a virtual reality environment.