The New Childrens Encyclopedia

IS THIS REAL?

265

SPACE EXPLORATION

The American space agency NASA used virtual reality to help with the design

of a Mars rover vehicle before it sent the latest rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, to

the surface of Mars. Astronauts also use VR to prepare for space missions.

TRAINING DOCTORS

AND SOLDIERS

The military uses virtual reality to

simulate dangerous battle scenes

without putting the lives of any

soldiers at risk. And in hospitals,

trainee surgeons practice virtual

surgery on computer screens

without harming live patients.

 MARS ROVER An engineer uses

virtual reality to help understand the

problems of navigation on the rocky

surface of the red planet.

 VIRTUAL SURGERY A surgeon views a

VR image of a patient’s head prior to surgery.

 WAR GAMES A soldier fights on the

virtual battlefield to train for real combat.

FLIGHT SIMULATION

Pilots train in flight simulators—

one of the earliest forms of virtual

reality. The pilot sits inside a life-

size replica of a cockpit and views

computer-generated images of the

outside world. The controls of the

simulator respond in the same way

as those of a real aircraft.

TECHNOLOGY

 FLIGHT SIMULATOR

Using VR, a pilot can learn to fly

without putting lives in danger.