“Virtual Reality”

INTRODUCTION
Today when museums are stunned with the extraordinary entertaining performance of other institution, malls, PVRs and theatres, a new competition is ahead of museums. One of the realities of museums today is the constant need to search for new ways to educate, entertain to excite and above all to give a holistic experience of museum to the audience. In new array of education by various bodies, museums need to be innovative as they always did. In last two decades, computer has invaded museums on a large scale. Museums are now using a new mode of computer facility to educate their audience known as Virtual Reality (VR).

The very first use of term “Virtual Reality” is found from 1982 in a science fiction novel “The Judas Mandala” by “Damien Broderick” where the context of use is somewhat different from that defined here. Later in 1987 “Packer and Jordan”, in "Multimedia: from Wagner to Virtual Reality," explore the term and its history from an avant-garde perspective. The concept of virtual reality was popularized in mass media by movies such as “Brainstorm” and the “Lawnmower man”. Since then many other words also has been used to explain the same idea like “Sensorama”, “Artificial Reality”, “Augmented Reality” (AR) by the use of “Head mounted Display System” (HMD), “Goggle and Glove System” (GGS) etc. It is a far known term in western countries. They have been using this term for mote than fifteen years. They have entered in second phase of virtual reality, some of Asian countries like Japan are also moving along with them while some countries like India are now taking initiative steps in this highly multimedia packed field. Recently it has an image of computer generated artificial 3D world. This process includes highly sophisticated, complex electrical and electronics instruments and techniques. “Simulated Reality”, is the predicted word as for the new realm of virtual reality or the modified form of VR and it will be more close to the Real Reality.

Virtual reality (VR); if described is an artificial experience of things, systems or events could be real or imagined but could be seen and felt. Actually it is the most advanced cost effective, exiting form of participatory exhibits. Primarily VR is artificial audiovisual experience on stereoscopic computer screen with “Dolby-real”, “Prologic” sound with a wide angle view and true sound, but in some techniques sense of touch or pressure, smell are also used. Some “Haptic” or “tactile” system makes the sense of touch possible, while some of “Chemosimulators” makes the olfactory sense real. VR experience is very close to real one. Many computers, simulators and multimedia devices are simultaneously used to produce the reality effect. It is somewhat like being inside a computer program. One of the Hollywood movies “The Matrix” has been popularizing the idea in a different way. Already most of this have been used in 3D gaming and highly improved surgical techniques. In the museum it is so effective to describe the idea or theme of exhibit or display because it immediately influences the human behavior, inter personal communication and cognition. In the age of conservation, VR is the best way dealing with the conservation of intangible heritage. VR does neither hit the soul of museums nor represent their distorted image. Result of use of technology depend upon the way of use, it may harm museums if used to do so, otherwise it is one of the best and latest way to restore the intangible heritage as well as safeguarding of tangible heritage. Actually VR itself is the restored part of object if used very accurately, without touching the original object we restore and conserve it virtually and there would not be any better conservation method other than this.