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Virtual reality is important to every Marine for it is in the process of revolutionizing their training . . .
"You enter the wood paneled room and sit in front of the controls of an M1A1 main battle tank. Col Jack Thorpe, special assistant for simulation at the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, douses the lights, flips on a computer, and sends three 5-foot screens in front of you thundering into action. Instantly, you're . . . rolling across the Iraqi desert. You are performing the same maneuvers as a unit of the 2d Armored Cavalry during "73 Easting," an actual battle in the Persian Gulf War. . . . You duck as shells scream toward you and explode in ear-splitting fury. Your heart is racing as you slam the control stick to the right maneuvering your tank to engage an attacking enemy tank. As it moves into your sight you press the trigger. BABOOM! A flash and a plume of black smoke signals a hit. Wiping beads of perspiration from your brow the only word you can muster to describe the experience is 'WOW!' "
-Business Week, 5 October 1992
Computer simulation evokes physical and mental responses in the user that mimic what would be experienced executing the same task in the real world. This is the reason computer simulation is an effective training tool. The quality of training derived from simulation is directly proportional to the verity of the simulation experience. Comparing the video game quality graphics of the 73 Easting simulation with that offered by the evolving concept of virtual reality is like comparing the Wright brothers' first aircraft with the Stealth Fighter. In virtual reality, the verity of the simulation experience is significantly enhanced causing user responses to mirror real-world responses. Because of this, virtual reality has the potential to change the way we train Marines in the 21st century.
But, you ask, "What is virtual reality?" Virtual reality (VR) is "an advanced computer simulation in which the user doesn't passively view the artificial environment but rather interacts with it." Several characteristics distinguish VR from other simulations. VR combines advanced three-dimensional graphics, multiple sensory inputs (sound and touch), and "navigation" to immerse the user in another world. Immersion and...