One out of ten people were reported having gone through the phenomenon known as an out-of-body experience. Now, people don't necessarily have to have a seizure or an epileptic attack to go through one. A group of researchers have conducted an experiment through the use of virtual-reality to simulate this experience.

The experiment, led by Henrik Ehrsson of University College London, purposely tries to distorts a person's perception of sight and touch by wearing a pair of virtual-reality goggles. The volunteer then sat in a chair wearing them with the view of a video camera placed behind them.

A researcher then moves a rod up to the camera at the same time as the person's chest was touched, then moving the rod away from the camera. This simulated the feeling that the person was sitting a few paces behind from where the camera stood.

A mannequin is then placed in front of them, substituting as their own bodily representation. Volunteers were then blindfolded and guided backwards, with instructions to return to their original positions - the place where they had seen their virtual body.

Olaf Blanke, a researcher from Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland explains the theory behind the experiment:

We tried to take two modalities -- sight and touch -- and systematically dissociate the information with those two senses, using virtual information to do this. It is a mismatch between the two senses.

So what's the use of all of this? Asides from answering philosophical questions surrounding one's self being, this could also have practical applications in video games or even remote surgery, where doctors can operate on patients via tactile robotic arms from very long distances based on videos of the patient.

Hey, who knows? This study may even bring back the whole "virtual-reality fad" that captivated so many from long ago.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, half the kids in the country are overweight. They point out to eating habits and lack of exercise as the main factors why American children are getting heavier. Nintendo is now working hand in hand with the YMCA to motivate children to get into fitness to prevent illnesses related to the condition.

The two groups believe that the key to solving the problem is by motivating the children to get into a healthier lifestyle through positive reinforcement. At the center of all this is the Nintendo Wii, the Japanese company's new game console that features innovative controllers called Wiimotes. The Wiimotes are unlike any other input device ever seen before: They are wireless, motion-sensitive and require a lot of activity to use to the fullest.

Nintendo started by donating 100 of the hard-to-find units to YMCA centers all over the country. Copies of the popular Wii Sports game were shipped along with the console. Wii Sports is popular because not only is it free, it immerses players into something close to virtual reality. Players can play bowling, tennis, boxing and much more while standing up and flailing their arms to rack up the points in whatever sport they choose.

"The Wii is one way to get inactive kids who love video games moving when they would otherwise be sitting playing these games," says Jane Carroll of the West Suburban YMCA. She also plans to squeeze in some eating tips along the way when people start to acknowledge the value of staying fit through the system.

Max Melville is seven years old and has recently started working out at the YMCA in his area. He says he always looks forward to sessions on the Wii console. "It's like virtual reality," he said. "I always wanted to know what it would be like to play some of these sports," he says.

On a side note, Nintendo has been spreading word around that there's actually a good number of people mailing them about how the Wii helped them shed off a few pounds. None of these have been confirmed, but this development looks ready to add a whole new dimension as to how the rest of the world views games.

About 4% to 6% of British soldiers come back from Iraq suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but a whopping 20% of US soldiers suffer from PTSD when they get home. While it can be attributed to the fact that more US soldiers are in the thick of things, it doesn't change the fact that 20% is still high.

PTSD. PTSD is no joke. The most common symptoms of this condition include reliving traumatic events through dreams and flashbacks. This makes the sufferer to either become paranoid or to "tune out" and become emotionally numb.

Treatment for PTSD. The accepted method of treatment in scientific journals is the gradual exposure of the subject to the stimuli or triggers that cause anxiety. This, of course should be done in a supportive and controlled environment.

Virtual Iraq. Virtual Iraq has shown some promise in lowering the effects of PTSD in the people it has been tested on. Virtual Iraq uses virtual reality to slowly subject the patient to the cause of his or her anxiety: Iraq.

The system setup is simple. Basically the patient is asked to wear a headset which will be showing scenes in Iraq. This includes city streets, desert roads, small villages, building interiors, convoys, and checkpoints. The graphics are similar to those found in Full Spectrum Warrior for the Xbox.

Sounds, vibrations and odors can be induced by the doctor administrating the treatment. Among the smells that can be released are gunpowder, cordite, diesel, burning rubber, body odour, spices, and even cooked lamb. During this session, the patient's heart rate and skin conductivity are kept track of; these offer a good measure of the patient's stress level. Each treatment lasts for an hour with the patient urged to speak about his experiences.

While there haven't been enough patients to conclusively prove that Virtual Iraq is a definite cure, the results have been very good. A patient continues to show improvement even three months after the end of the treatment.

Also, the equipment can be afforded by many clinics: it will cost about £ 5,000 (about US $ 9,800).

We hope that this therapy will be a success so we have additional ways to help our fighting men and women when they get back.

Tom Fronczak, a contributor to The Last Boss, and a bloke who's a semester away from a degree in game design, profiles a VR studio at the University of Pittsburgh's Medical Virtual Reality Center.

Why? Well, Fronczack and classmates intend to develop an acrophobia (fear of heights) simulator to be used in therapy sessions.

Fronczak's group will be using Unreal Engine (1) to develop a design a level that resembles an unfinished skyscraper. Patients will slowly ascend the floors of the building, eventually emerging in open air, where they will have to navigate up scaffolding to reach to top of the stage.

The time-frame for development has been limited to ten weeks. Fronczak notes that he's eager to get feedback on his project. To read Fronczak's updates feel free to use our read-link below.

Unreal Tournament can blast the vertigo offa you! Err, well, perhaps not in that way. People who suffer from vertigo (no, not the wall-mounted fireplace) - you know, like when your mouse develops a hiccup and spins your first-person shooter view like a merry-go-round from Hell - could be cured by subjecting the poor, motion-hallucinating folk to "virtual" scenarios.

By training their balance nerves to grab ahold of themselves, people will be able to get rid of the condition and join us "other" folks in a frantic game of Unreal Tournament.

A class from a virtual reality college visited a hospital where they found a research setup using VR as a tool. The research concentrated on studying people who suffered from vertigo or constant dizziness attacks. Using the Unreal engine and a US$ 3000 Alienware puppy, the medical researchers turned a whole Unreal Tournament level into a totally 3D grocery mart. A fraggin' good time at K-Mart? Yesiree!

How does it work? Well, the patient walks on a treadmill behind a stationary grocery cart. The treadmill is coupled with motion sensors, so a patient can walk around on their own free-will and go as fast as they want to go. By this "training" the patient's brain can get used to motions made and rewire their perception.

Pretty neat huh?

Have you ever seen some sort of weird music video that has holograms or some sort of grand future where we can talk to people and see them through holograms, but we can't touch them? It sounds a lot like virtual reality mixed in with campy sci-fi romance; that would be good if you like cheesy sci-fi, but otherwise, it has nothing to do with our world.

Or does it?

It seems Intel is trying their hand at making touchable holograms using silicon to create the 3-D objects in real space. The hologram would be made up of balls with silicon, called Catoms (claytronic atoms), which would not only allow for the object to be created, but also to be molded and altered in real-time like clay. Uses could lay anywhere from use in simple presentations, medical technology, and perhaps even 3-D mapping of the world.

Of course, it's still all sci-fi, but if Intel's working on it, then they're probably going to be plugging away in their labs to perfect the process. Until then, we'll just have to wait and see.

Gamers who like driving sims but are tired of all the same old race tracks - or are looking for new frontiers - will be interested in this one. NASA's new educational PC game, Lunar Racing Championship, is a virtual reality simulator offering players a chance to drive around the surface of the moon.

Using a 3D map created from the 1998 Clementine Mission, LRC will allow players to visit the site of the Apollo 11 Lander or the  Tycho crater - or most anywhere else on the Lunar surface. Players wear goggles that allow for stereo vision, and the player's movement is tracked using motion sensors.

The game features a high degree of realism, we are told.  Dan Rasky of NASA's Ames Research Center says that NASA engineers will even be using  it order to plan missions and solve design problems. The same "virtual" thrusters that  give the game's cyber- buggies a little extra high-speed traction may very well find their on onto the real thing, he says. Lunar Racing Championship is scheduled to be released sometime in October.