INTUITION WG2.12

From EuroVR Knowledge Base

Scope

Until the end of the nineties a typical VR system has been custom made with sometimes very exotic components. Those systems have been very expensive, often unreliable and difficult to maintain. Due to the technical limitations the ergonomic quality was necessarily low. Nevertheless many of the concepts are still valid and useful until today. The vigorous technological developments and the enormously reduced costs mainly of

PC and PC cluster technology
graphics hardware and corresponding drivers (driven by the game industry)
digital projectors (driven by business presentation and home cinema applications)
LCD technology (driven by digital flat panel monitors, mobile computing and projector technology)
wireless radio communication (driven by wireless networking, cordless interaction devices for desktops and mobile computing)
optical tracking systems
rear projection screen materials (rear projection systems are replacing traditional overhead projectors)

enable us now to setup reliable, more ergonomic and cost effective VR systems. New and improved technology makes it finally possible to realise ideas that make use of the full potential of VR systems. VR systems are not longer stand alone high end visualisation tools. New approaches are searching for possibilities to use the benefits of immersive projection and the free interaction for virtualised training, education and simulation. Beside the three dimensional visualisation, VR systems are and will be used in completely new fields of application. The application oriented WGs are describing their application ideas and technological requirements and the technology WGs are trying to find technological solutions. Consequently the research plan of WG 2.12 is strongly influenced by the partner’s needs of the other WGs.

WG 2.12 is focussed on the required technology, i.e. hard- and software, to provide to a user of a VR system a three dimensional, stereoscopic view onto a virtual world and to produce the illusion of being immersed into the displayed virtual world. The degree of immersion depends heavily on the seamless combination of all components of a VR system. As soon as one component is insufficient or incorrectly adjusted the immersion is disturbed or even destroyed. Therefore the WG considers any VR installation as VR system consisting of output devices like a display system, input devices, such as tracking, interaction devices, a computer system for rendering and application handling, a VR runtime software and one or more VR applications.

The WG 2.12 works on the improvement of the components, the ergonomic quality, on appropriate interaction metaphors and interfaces and on cost effectiveness. In more complex environments such as training and simulation systems and in industrial applications VR is just one component. Beside the basic VR technology WG 2.12 works on the integration of VR systems in existing workflows and operational IT environments as well as on missing components and functionality to reach the goal of immersive planning, training and simulation systems.

Regarding the involved different technologies the WG covers a wide range of research topics like projection, tracking, rendering, runtime software etc..

Activities

The following information is a summary of the results of our activities. Detailed reports can be found here.

Results

A major part of the Working Group's activity has been the production of the following documents:

The Term of Reference (ToR), which is now integrated into the Technology section
The Research Roadmap

Common Research Interests

The Impact on Bio- and Neurosensor on 3D Interaction (FhG, COAT, INRIA, ICCS)
Human Models and Avatars (CEA, MiraLab, IR-Uvec, UPM, UniPatras)
Collaborative Immersive Environments (ITI, IR-Uvec, UniPatras, FhG/IAO)
Software infrastructures for VE’s (FhG/IAO, ITI, MiraLab, IR-Uvec, ICCS)
Interactive Simulation (CEA, FhG/IAO, ITI, MiraLab)

Meetings

Planned meetings

The spring common WG meeting: Brasov, Rumania, February 20-21 2008
WG cross meeting to be held in Plzen, Czech Republic, February 7-8, 2008 PLZEN meeting

Held meetings

Brasov (Romania), February 2008
Athens (Greece), October 2007
Laval (France), April 2007
Basel (Switzerland), October 2006
Laval (France), April 2006
Stuttgart (Germany), February 2006
Stuttgart (Germany), September 2005
Aarlborg (Danmark), October 2005
Laval (France), April 2005
Athens (Greece), Kick off meeting October 2004

For minutes of previous meetings please register for WG2.12 on the INTUITION forum from the INTUITION website

For Latest News link to WG2.12 on the INTUITION forum from the INTUITION website

Internal Projects

Integrated tracking for immersive workplace systems - A feasibility study Hardware Concept and prototype based on a ART Track2 system
- Partner: FhG-IAO,A.R.T

Real Time Shading for Vehicle interior simulation
- Partner: CRF, UICCS, MCS, FhG-IAO (Cross WG)

Requirements for low cost SME
- Partner: TNO USAL, COAT, ICCS, FhG-IAO (Cross WG)

Common User Interface for Novices
- Partner: DC and VTT, ICCS, FhG-IAO (Cross WG)

Collaborative Engineering Workplace in VR for Space Design, Integrated Design and Training Process support (Software installation at AAS)
- Partner: AAS, FhG-IAO, INRIA (Cross WG)

Members

Private Work Area

WG2.12 Private Work Area