Virtual reality : the new media ?

Multimedia computing is becoming increasingly prevalent in both the home and the office. Multimedia information is usually presented on the computer screen using 2-D menus and windows, but improving graphics capabilities are opening up new opportunities to present information within a 3-D virtual world. This paper describes the work of the Virtuosi project which is investigating the use of virtual reality to support groupworking. Applications include finding people, viewing information and interacting with colleagues in a virtual world. The 3-D approach is very powerful and could change completely the way we interact with people and information.'