Virtual reality in physics. Computer-generated wire-frame drawing showing the ATLAS particle detector to be built at the CERN European particle physics laboratory. The ATLAS experiment will service two accelerator rings; the proposed Large Hadron Collider (LHC, dark blue pipe at lower left and upper right) and the existing Large Electron- Positron ring (grey and yellow, below LHC pipe). This image was made using CERN's VENUS virtual reality system. It is used to check engineering designs for fit and position before any component is actually manufactured; this process is called virtual prototyping.