timm@yoyodyne.ncsa.uiuc.edu (Tim McClarren) (03/02/91)
This is a summary of my impressions of the VR machine demonstrated at Engineering Open House at UI (March 1-2). The machine itself is self- contained (looks to be a molded plastic case, about 8" x 10" x 2", maybe a little bigger), with 256k-1M of memory (wasn't specific), a joystick port, and an RS-232 port. This was their version 1 machine. The display wasn't head mounted, and utilized monochromatic LCD's for stereo-optic imaging...the joystick is a drawback as well, but other input devices are much more expensive. The display was red-on-black, and 200,000 pixels (per their specs), which is about 500 x 400. It certainly wasn't believable as an artificial landscape, but I like the futuristic feel it gave (but, I also prefer monochrome monitors to color :o) ). The device would have to be miniaturized a bit more and priced around $200 for it to be worthwhile (I could see getting off on a CD-ROM world that I could travel around in WITH other people...solitaire it would be a bit dull). The CD-ROM interface is definitely a must (I didn't see this there), and head-mounted gear would be a must as well (the device on display wasn't head mounted although I did notice a pair of goggles sitting on the table so maybe this in the works). I could live with a joystick interface. It's a far cry from what I would consider VR. Someone said it sounded like a glorified video game, and that's probably how I would describe it, although if it was priced right, it might be a damned fun substitute for video games. It's a stretch to call something like this a VR engine, especially if you've seen VPL or something similar. ------------- Tim McClarren NCSA/UI
mg@godzilla.cgl.rmit.OZ.AU (Mike Gigante) (03/06/91)
The display sounds like it could have been based on the "Private Eye" (TM). Were the 'goggles' lying on the table like a pair of glasses, with a plastic nodule hanging off it? The Private Eye uses a row of (red) LEDs and an occillating mirror to produce a "floating" 3D display. I can drag up something on the private eye if you haven't heard of it before.... Mike Gigante ACGC Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Melbourne, Australia [Moderator's Note: In an email note, David Frierichs, who has been reporting on this development, suggests that the display version of the device, having been "hardened" for use by many people, does not represent the fully developed version that has been demonstrated on campus. I hope he will post more about this to the newsgroup. -- Bob Jacobson]