DOCTORAATSPROEFSCHRIFT - EDM - UHasselt

2.1 NVE systems 33
Figure 2.5: A historical overview of some of the most important NVE systems
[Joslin 04]. The vertical axis represents the number of publications on these
systems.
The main goal of most of these systems is to provide the user with a higher
level of immersivity, the feeling of being there, through the use of new displays,
input hardware or techniques. Giving a complete overview of all these systems
is far beyond the range of this work, and although the potential of immersive
interfaces is highly interesting, the reality is that it is unlikely that they will
become available in every household in the near future, and the desktop computer
will remain the common interface in the years to come. Therefore, in the
remainder of this dissertation, as we are discussing interfaces, we will be focusing
on desktop VE systems. On the other hand, the techniques discussed in
the following chapters describing the interaction mechanisms for VEs, provide
general solutions for all kinds of VE systems, irrespective of the interface. Of
course, if links to other kinds of interfaces are relevant, they will be discussed
as well.