Abstract: Virtual reality (VR) is a technology, which allows a user to interact with a computer-simulated environment, be it a real or imagined one. Most current virtual reality environments are primarily visual experiences, displayed either on a computer screen or through special or stereoscopic displays. . The majority of near-term applications are in the area of surgical planning, interpretive navigation, and surgical simulations. Its use in rehabilitative medicine and psychiatry has made significant progress.
The paper describes several new visualization and interaction techniques that enable the use of virtual environments for routine medical, military as well as industrial purposes. A new volume-rendering method supports shaded and transparent visualization of medical image sequences in real-time with an interactive threshold definition. Virtual Reality (VR) appears a natural medium for three-dimensional computer supported collaborative work (CSCW). However the current trend in CSCW is to adapt the computer interface to work with the user's traditional tools, rather than separating the user from the real world as does immersive VR. The combination of the presented techniques empowers the improved human-machine interface of virtual reality to support every interactive task in medical three-dimensional (3-D) image processing, from visualization of unsegmented data volumes up to the simulation of surgical procedures.

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