- Astronauts travelling deep into space
will be able to relax by using virtual reality to visit family and friends
back home. Images of favourite places and people on Earth will be beamed
directly onto an astronaut's eyes to combat boredom.
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- Nasa is closely following a group of
researchers at Virginia Tech who are developing the system. The American
space agency believes that, if it works, it could help alleviate the isolation
astronauts feel when everyday sights and sounds are left behind on Earth.
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- According to Dr Dwight Holland of the
University of Virginia School of Medicine, virtual-reality technology is
available now that can easily be built into long space missions.
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- It could be used in unexpected ways.
Exercise, for example, is vital to stop bone and muscle deteriorating in
space but astronauts are reluctant to do the boring and repetitive routines
to which they are limited by the cramped conditions of a spacecraft.
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- "Astronauts report problems with
motivation for sustaining intense exercises to prevent bone and muscle
problems," says Holland. "Lightweight virtual-display devices
could be used during exercise to generate a variety of scenes to overcome
this boredom."
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- Stress is another problem that could
be tackled with virtual reality. It could allow astronauts to visit home,
take a walk in the park or go to a favourite cinema to relieve boredom.
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- It could also be used by a homesick astronaut
to mingle with family and friends. By using mixed reality techniques an
astronaut could appear to be walking with his family in a park or sitting
in a favourite room.
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- Virtual reality will also mean that instead
of watching a film alone in the capsule, the astronaut will be given the
sensation of sitting with friends in a cinema.
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- Virtual reality will also play a role
in overcoming some of the orientation problems caused by changes in gravity.
These can result in dizziness and nausea.
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- Holland and his colleagues also point
out that virtual reality will have a role in the operation of the craft
and in preventing mistakes. They say that a near disaster aboard Mir, when
a craft had difficulty in docking and hit the space station, could have
been averted if the inexperienced crew had practised the manoeuvre with
a virtual-reality headset.
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- "When a part of the spacecraft or
space station needs repairing, the correct procedure could be uploaded
to the vehicle from the ground and carried out, possibly with virtual-reality
headsets as an aid during the repair," says Holland, who is reporting
on some of the problems in space at the annual conference of the Aerospace
Medical Association.
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- Nasa is tackling some of these health
problems with a Telemedicine Instrument Pack, which is in the final stage
of evaluation and testing at the Johnson Space Center. It will allow doctors
on Earth to deal with problems encountered on a mission.
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- The pack will include eye, ear, nose,
throat and skin imaging, as well as heart, lung and blood oxygen monitoring
and a video camera surveillance system. It is portable enough for crew
to wear, so they can be monitored while carrying out their tasks.
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- According to Holland and Dr Woodrow Barfield,
a colleague, about 20 health effects have been identified in astronauts
on long space flights. The heart shrinks, blood pressure drops and a shift
in the balance of body fluids results in puffiness of the face. It is also
thought that the immune system is partly depressed, that kidney stones
begin to form and that bone loses its salt.
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- The researchers claim that the experiences
of astronauts on Skylab, Salyut, Mir and on other long space missions have
shown that virtual reality and telemedicine will have an important role
in future space operations.
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- Some basic types of biotelemetry, including
checks on heart rates and blood pressure, have been carried out since 1961
when Alan Shepard became the first American in space. The systems now being
developed are far more advanced and deal with a range of new issues.
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- Nasa is not alone in thinking virtual
reality could liven up exercise sessions. British and German researchers
are working on a system that uses it to make exercising on a bicycle machine
less of a chore. Software is being used to build three virtual cities -
Amsterdam, Manhattan and Karlsruhe in Germany. These will be entered through
the Internet. Once the area is downloaded, the user will be free to cycle
through its streets and take in the sights.
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- There is also a social dimension. Several
users can log on at the same time and take the same tour of the city. While
on their way they can also say hello to other cyclists who have logged
on and are making their own tours.
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- The project has received funding from
the European Union so it can be developed to a stage where it could be
commercially viable. The idea came from the Centre for Art and Media Technology
in Karlsruhe. It is being implemented by virtual-reality software developed
by experts, including Dr Alan Murta, at the computer science department
of Manchester University.
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