Project Title:
Realistic Virtual Environment Workstation
06.05-8500A
912222
Realistic Virtual Environment Workstation
KMS
P.O. Box 1567
Ann Arbor
MI
48106-1567
Frederick S.
Schebor
313-769-8500
JSC
NAS9-18696
111
06.05-8500A
912222
Abstract:
Realistic Virtual Environment Workstation
Recently developed virtual-world, heads-on displays have significantly increased
the potential of using computer-generated graphical environments for training and
operational scenarios. To enter a virtual-world environment, an operator wears a
head-mounted, stereo video display that provides a view of the objects and backgrounds
of the virtual-world environment as generated by a color graphics workstation. Head
motion is monitored and is used to control the operator's view within the environment.
Unfortunately, current virtual-world environments are far from realistic, providing
only rudimentary graphical representations of objects. This project plans to dramatically
increase the fidelity, usability, and cost-performance of virtual world simulations
by designing a real-world scanning system, REALVIEW, that will optimize the "feel"
of a virtual world by importing real objects and backgrounds into virtual world environments.
Specifically, the firm will design object grabber, background grabber, and world
editor/viewer subsystems that will allow existing objects and scenes to be captured,
stored, modified, and rendered in a virtual world. With these tools, an operator
will be able to easily create or modify virtual world simulations by manipulating
the objects and backgrounds acquired by REALVIEW.
The fidelity, usability, and cost-performance of virtual-world simulation make it
suitable for substantial commercial applications in such areas as teleoperated and
telerobotic systems that depend on realistic simulations.
computer graphics, virtual world, virtual reality, heads-on display, data glove