[comp.graphics.visualization] VPL Dataglove

steve@arezzo.siemens.com.siemens.com (Steve Giovannetti) (02/04/91)

Does anyone know where I might get a Dataglove, Spaceball, or other
interesting input devices?  

SGG

okeefe@cs.Buffalo.EDU (Paul O'Keefe) (02/05/91)

In article <STEVE.GNUS24@arezzo.siemens.com.siemens.com>, steve@arezzo.siemens.com.siemens.com (Steve Giovannetti) writes:
> 
> Does anyone know where I might get a Dataglove, Spaceball, or other
> interesting input devices?  
> 
From the tone of this posting, it doesn't sound like you're all that
serious about it. The VPL DataGlove is not something you run out
and buy to have something "interesting" with which to experiment;
it cost a TON of money! A few thousand bucks minimum, probabily more.
When VPL first rolled out there "virtual reality" products at SIGGRAPH '89
in Boston, the DataGlove listed for $8000. BTW the complete top-of-the-line
Reality-Built-for-Two listed for $250,000.00, complete with a SGI Power
Series CPU, two EyePhones, two DataGloves, and the animation software.
VPL Research is located in Redwood City, CA.

The SpaceBall on the other hand is (pardon the pun) a little closer
to reality. I guess it cost a few hundred bucks. However, in my opinion
it is rather imprecise and does not solve the problem of
navigating through 3D space to my satisfaction.

The think the which makes the SpaceBall is called Space Systems.
I don't know where they are located. You should be able to find
their ad in Silicon Graphics`s Iris magazine or Computer Graphics World.

-Paul O'Keefe	okeefe@cs.buffalo.edu