cdshaw@cs.ualberta.ca (Chris Shaw) (05/09/91)
In article <LongerAndLongerAndLongerAndLonger> Greg ? writes: >Second, does anyone have any ideas about a cheap version of eyephones? There's a device called the "Private Eye", which is a head-mounted display device that uses a spinning mirror to scan a column of 280 LEDs across your face. Resolution = 720x280. It's pretty cheap. It's made by Reflection Technology, Inc. Sorry no address. Anybody got an address for these people? >It seems to me that a powerglove could be used for the position sensor >(just aim it backwards, and put the receivers behind you) and still >let you use a power glove for a glove. The noisiness of the data given by the ultrasound sensors will drive you wild. You'll probably have to use a Polhemus Isotrak for head tracking. >Then, 2 EGA/VGA cards... The rest of the post is on the right track. See Randy Pausch's paper in CHI 91, "Virtual Reality on Five Dollars a Day". The most expensive part of his system is the Isotrak at $3000. His total system cost is $10,000, and he's doing some of the best work in this area. > -Greg -- Chris Shaw University of Alberta cdshaw@cs.UAlberta.ca Now with new, minty Internet flavour! CatchPhrase: Bogus as HELL !
wave@media-lab.media.mit.edu.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Michael B. Johnson) (05/11/91)
In article <1991May10.205155.27367@milton.u.washington.edu> you write: >> >> >> >>In article <LongerAndLongerAndLongerAndLonger> Greg ? writes: >>>Second, does anyone have any ideas about a cheap version of eyephones? >> >>There's a device called the "Private Eye", which is a head-mounted display >>device that uses a spinning mirror to scan a column of 280 LEDs across >>your face. Resolution = 720x280. It's pretty cheap. It's made by >>Reflection Technology, Inc. Sorry no address. Anybody got an address for these >>people? >> Reflection Technology 240 Bear Hill Road Waltham, MA 02154 617-890-5905 617-890-5918 FAX NOTE: this is their new address - I just typed it in from a FAX I got from a friend a few weeks ago, so I'm sure it's current. Also, I believe a developer's kit for a Private Eye can be ordered from PC Connection. With the PC CGA emulation card, I believe the kit is ~$500. Just the Private Eye is ~$400. Call yourself for the real numbers. -- --> Michael B. Johnson --> MIT Media Lab -- Computer Graphics & Animation Group --> (617) 253-0663 -- wave@media-lab.media.mit.edu
fenwick@clipper.ingr.com (Stephen Fenwick) (05/14/91)
In article <1991May10.205155.27367@milton.u.washington.edu> cdshaw@cs. ualberta.ca (Chris Shaw) writes: >In article <LongerAndLongerAndLongerAndLonger> Greg ? writes: >>It seems to me that a powerglove could be used for the position sensor >>(just aim it backwards, and put the receivers behind you) and still >>let you use a power glove for a glove. > >The noisiness of the data given by the ultrasound sensors will drive you wild. >You'll probably have to use a Polhemus Isotrak for head tracking. Your tarring the whole technology with a too-broad brush. Ultrasonics can be used for reliable 2-d and 3-d positioning; I've done it. The project was a derivation of a head-mouse for the Mac (forgot the name) that used three receivers on a headband (one on top, one at each ear, all face forward) and a single transmitter in a base unit placed on top of the Mac. I'm not sure how much I can say about the techniques used (don't recall what non-disclosures were signed at the time), but it was quite possible to get reasonable 3-d positioning (one axis direct, two by translating rotations to translations) based on a single 68HC11, some cheap glue logic, and simple software. Very little filtering (s/w or h/w) was required. Send me e-mail for more details. Steve Fenwick -- Do you seriously think my company would let me speak for it? E-Mail routes: { uunet!ingr! } clipper!fenwick USPS: Intergraph APD, 2400 Geng Road, Palo Alto, California 94303 AT&Tnet: (415) 852-2325
cdshaw@cs.ualberta.ca (Chris Shaw) (05/15/91)
Steve Fenwick : >In article cdshaw@cs.ualberta.ca (Chris Shaw) writes: >>The noisiness of the data given by the ultrasound sensors will drive you >>wild. >>You'll probably have to use a Polhemus Isotrak for head tracking. > >You're tarring the whole technology with a too-broad brush. Ultrasonics >can be used for reliable 2-d and 3-d positioning; I've done it. >Steve Fenwick Perhaps I am, perhaps not. The original post in this thread suggested that the Power Glove ultrasonic trackers be used for head tracking. This means that you need to track position and orientation, at all attitudes (no dead spots). For head tracking, the data should also be low noise, else the jitter will "drive you nuts". Ultrasonics are probably ideal for position-only tracking, but currently the powerglove will give only roll-of-forearm data, and will only work when your arm is facing the sensor array. Of course, you COULD use this to detect head-turn +/- 90 degrees, but that's all. No looking up or down with this setup. Ultrasound is certainly worth looking into, though, because it's got a big price advantage. -- Chris Shaw University of Alberta cdshaw@cs.UAlberta.ca Now with new, minty Internet flavour! CatchPhrase: Bogus as HELL !
fenwick@clipper.ingr.com (Steve Fenwick) (05/16/91)
In article <1991May16.055148.2358@milton.u.washington.edu> cdshaw@cs.ualberta.ca (Chris Shaw) writes: |> Steve Fenwick : |> >In article cdshaw@cs.ualberta.ca (Chris Shaw) writes: |> >>The noisiness of the data given by the ultrasound sensors will drive you |> >>wild. |> >>You'll probably have to use a Polhemus Isotrak for head tracking. |> > |> >You're tarring the whole technology with a too-broad brush. Ultrasonics |> >can be used for reliable 2-d and 3-d positioning; I've done it. |> >Steve Fenwick |> |> Perhaps I am, perhaps not. |> |> The original post in this thread suggested that the Power Glove ultrasonic |> trackers be used for head tracking. This means that you need to track |> position and orientation, at all attitudes (no dead spots). For head tracking , |> the data should also be low noise, else the jitter will "drive you nuts". |> Ultrasonics are probably ideal for position-only tracking, but currently the |> powerglove will give only roll-of-forearm data, and will only work when |> your arm is facing the sensor array. Of course, you COULD use this to detect |> head-turn +/- 90 degrees, but that's all. No looking up or down with this |> setup. |> |> Ultrasound is certainly worth looking into, though, because it's got a |> big price advantage. Serves me right for jumping into the middle of a thread! I assume the powerglove you're talking about is the Nintendo glove. I can't agree about the roll-of-forearm only, since it seems to pick up pitch, yaw, and one axis of translation (at least when my cousin/video-game addict uses it!) This holds with what I found out in my project, which seems to have been exactly the same as the powerglove, but wearing the three sensors instead of the transmitter. You're right, in that the three receiver/one transmitter scheme won't let you pick up absolute 3-d position and attitude; it will give you three easy-to-use degrees of freedom (pitch, yaw, one translation), and can thus be used a a 3-d control. I was working on this in 1987, well before the glove came out, and the project was based on a 1986 Mac mouse replacement (head-mounted; lots of apps for handicapped.) Contact Dr. Mark Friedman at Carnegie-Mellon for more details. P.S. I tried replying to your mail, Chris, but it bounced locally. fenwick@clipper.ingr.com +-----------------------------------------+ Intergraph APD, 2400 Geng Road | PP-ASEL-IA at last! Let's bust a cloud! | Palo Alto, California 94303 +-----------------------------------------+ (415) 852-2325/494-8800 -- fenwick@clipper.ingr.com +-----------------------------------------+ Intergraph APD, 2400 Geng Road | PP-ASEL-IA at last! Let's bust a cloud! | Palo Alto, California 94303 +-----------------------------------------+ (415) 852-2325/494-8800