|
Not just watching a film ooo RealCine—virtual reality for everyone This presentation will give you some information about RealCine: how it works, why it is better than a film, and how it can be used in other ways. The RealCine experience will amaze you, and you will agree that this is an extraordinary technology that deserves to be developed further. The technology behind RealCine is virtual reality (VR). Unlike a film, where a passive audience watches and hears what is happening on a screen, RealCine puts you into the action and connects with your senses of sight, hearing, smell and touch in an active way. Imagine that a VR user 'goes' sightseeing in the Himalayas. Not only will he or she feel every step of climbing Mount Qomolangma, but the user will also experience the cold, smells, sights and sounds of the surrounding environment; he or she will enjoy a feeling of happiness and a sense of achievement upon reaching the top. RealCine works by making the users feel that they are really in a new world --- a world that does not exist except in a computer program. To achieve this, special VR headsets are designed to allow the users to see in 3-D and hear the sound all around them. The movements of the headset indicate the direction in which the user wants to go. The user also wears special gloves so he or she can 'touch' the people and objects that he or she sees. To add to the virtual world of RealCine, the headsets even have small openings that give out smells to match the environment. Both the headsets and the gloves are connected to a computer network in the VR studio. In scientific studies it has been shown that VR can be a good treatment for people who have social problems. In one case, a teenager who was afraid of talking and playing with his schoolmates was treated with VR. In the world created by RealCine, he became the captain of the Brazilian football team and scored the winning goal in a World Cup final. This encouraged him to become more confident around others. An argument has been put forward that some users will be disappointed by RealCine because VR is not real. However, with VR we are able to do things that could never be achieved in real life. For example, with the aid of RealCine, a seventy-year-old grandfather recently took a trip to Africa. In reality, he is disabled and can no longer walk, but he was able to see and touch a lion while still in the convenience of the VR studio. Besides this, VR can be used to practise skills in a secure environment that otherwise would be quite dangerous. For example, firefighters could use RealCine to train safely, without the risk of getting injured in a burning building. It could be used in class as well. Teachers could bring history alive by placing students in an ancient town, or they could teach biology by allowing students to experience the world as a whale or a squirrel. Finally, RealCine provides fantastic technology for urban planning. Engineers can enter the design of a neighbourhood into a computer, and then use VR to 'walk' around the neighbourhood, see how it looks and make changes before construction is carried out. This kind of urban planning is in the long term cheaper and more practical, compared with the way most urban planning is done today. I recommend the government use the technology in the future planning of this city. 不仅仅是看电影 RealCine—— 人人都能享受的虚拟现实电影 这次演讲将告诉大家有关RealCine的一些信息： 它是如何应用的，为什么它比电影更好，它还有什么其它的用途。感受RealCine将让你惊叹，你一定会认为这是一项卓越的技术，值得进一步发展。 RealCine技术实质上是虚拟现实（VR）。电影仅仅让观众被动地看和听屏幕上发生的事，而RealCine 与电影不同，它让你参与到剧情活动中，以一种主动的方式与你的视觉、听觉、嗅觉和触觉联系起来。想像一下，一名VR使用者在“游览”喜马拉雅山。他/她不仅能感受到攀登珠穆朗玛峰顶每一步都艰辛，还能体验到周围环境的寒冷、气味、景观和声音；到达顶峰时,他/她将会享受到一种愉悦感和成就感。 RealCine的工作原理是让用户感觉到他们实际上是在一个新世界——一个只存在于电脑程序中的世界。为了达到这一目标，工程师们设计了特殊的VR头戴式耳机，它可以使观众看到环绕在他们周围的三维图像，听到周围的声音。耳机的移动表明观众想去的方向。观众还会戴上特制的手套，这样他/她就可以触摸到他/她看见的人和物体了。给RealCine虚拟世界锦上添花的是，耳机上甚至还有一些小孔，可以释放出与环境相匹配的气味。耳机和手套都与虚拟工作室里的电脑联网。 科学研究已经证明VR技术可以用于治疗有社交障碍的人。在一个案例中科学家利用VR技术治疗一位害怕与他的同学交谈和玩耍的少年。在RealCine创造的虚拟世界中，他成为巴西足球队队长，并在世界杯决赛中踢进了致胜的一球。这鼓励了他在与人交往时更加自信。 有人提出不同意见，认为一些用户可能会对RealCine失望，因为虚拟现实毕竟不是真的。但是，有了VR技术我们可以做许多在现实生活中完全不可能实现的事情。例如，在RealCine的帮助下，一位70岁的老爷爷最近到非洲去旅行了一趟。在现实中，他因为残疾而不能行走，但是，借助VR工作室里的便利设备，他能看见并触摸一头狮子。 除此以外，VR技术还可以用来做安全的环境中训练一些技能， 否则这些技能训练可能 相当危险。例如，消费者可以利用RealCine安全地进行训练，而不需要冒着受伤的危险，闯进着火的大楼。VR技术也能被运用在课堂上。老师可以让学生置身于古代的城镇，从而让历史重现；也可以让学生作为鲸鱼或者松鼠来体验世界，用这种方式来进行生物课的教学。 最后，RealCine为城市规划提供了绝望的技术。 工程师们可以把某个街区的设计输入电脑，然后利用VR技术在街区中走走，看看这个街区怎么样，并在动工之前作出适当的调整。 长远来说，与现在大多数的城市规划方式相比，这种城市规划方式更经济，更实用。我建议政府在未来的城市规划中运用这种技术。 课文注释 ①not just 不仅仅；不只是=not olny ②virtual reality虚拟现实 ③presentation n. 呈现，描述，陈述；介绍；赠送 ④amaze vt. 使吃惊 ⑤extraordinary adj. 非凡的；特别的；离奇的 ⑥deserve to be done=deserve doing 值得做某事 ⑦passive adj. 被动的，消极的；被动语态的 n. 被动语态 ⑧put…into action 付诸行动, 付诸实施 ⑨connect with连接；与…联系 ⑩Not only…but (also) 不仅…，而且… (11)a sense of achievement成就感 a sense of humour / direction/responsibility幽默感/方向感/责任感 (12)indicate vt. 表明；指出；预示；象征 (13)give out 散发，发出，分发；公布，发表；用尽，精疲力竭 (14)be connected to 与…连接与；…有关联 (15)encourage sb. to do 鼓励某人做某事 discourage sb. from doing sth 阻止某人做某事 (16)put forward vt. 提出；拿出；放出 (17)be disappointed by/at sth (with sb.) 对…感到失望 (18)with the aid of 在…的帮助下，在…的援助下 (19)in reality 实际上，事实上=in fact=as a matter of fact=actually (20)convenience n. 便利；厕所；便利的事物 21.secure adj. 安全的；无虑的；有把握的；稳当的vt. 保护；招致；缚住 vi. 获得安全；船抛锚；停止工作 22.without the risk of 没有…的危险 with the risk of 有…的危险 take the risk of 冒险做某事 23.as well也；同样地 24.bring … alive 使…复活/再现 25.place vt. 放置；任命；寄予 vi. 名列前茅；取得名次 n. 地方；住所；座位 26.provide sth. for sb.=provide sb. with sth提供某物给某人 27.be carried out 被执行，得到实现 28.in the long term从长远来看 in the short term从短期来看；就眼前来说 29.compared with与...相比较 (作状语) 30.recommend vt. 推荐，介绍；劝告；使受欢迎；托付 vi. 推荐；建议 |
