UW researchers are expanding the possibilities of the virtual realm with what many would call a video-game enthusiast’s fantasy. VirtuSphere is a virtual-reality system that allows the player to be totally absorbed in a game.

The sphere, which the UW’s Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HITLab) has been developing for about two years, is a large, mesh ball, about 8 feet in diameter and weighing about 460 pounds. It’s hollow and, when assembled, has 100 square feet of space inside. The sphere rests on top of a system of wheels that allows it to roll in any direction. Essentially, it is a human hamster ball.

The user wears a cordless head-mounted display that covers the eyes, then climbs into the sphere through a detachable opening. Columns on the side send a beam of light up the sphere, record the distance and direction of movement and send the information to the computer. The computer sends the information back to the head-mounted display, creating a virtual-reality simulation in any direction with unlimited distance.

VirtueSphere was created by two Russian brothers in Moscow during the 1990s.

“It’s not about the technology, but how it works to teach people,” HITLab and VirtuSphere research associate Dr. Ruth Fruland said. “The VirtuSphere provides a more meaningful experience due to the direct interaction it provides.”

Its applications are numerous. The HITLab at the UW works closely with the medical center because the technology could be used for medical simulation. The military is also interested in possibly developing the technology for 3-D combat simulation.

When the user first steps into the sphere, he or she feels unbalanced. To adjust to the movement of the sphere, one must first take small, even steps. Initially, balance is difficult due to constricted vision from the mesh and loss of ankle sensation, Fruland said. But most people learn to cope with the balancing issue fairly rapidly, she added.

Graduate student and VirtuSphere research assistant Eliana Medina said the technology solves many of the problems previously faced by the virtual-reality community.

“First, it creates a responsive device that provides a natural flow to the experience of walking,” she said. “Second, it allows users to navigate virtual spaces much larger than the real space they are in, and third, it provides a space where users could adapt to a new environment fairly easily.”

The value and virtue of this technology are the teaching and learning aspects. Fruland said people do not learn as well by simply reading and listening; interaction is the key.

“This technology can teach in a way we never could with linear texts,” Fruland said.

Reach contributing writer Anastasia Wasem at news@thedaily.washington.edu.