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New virtual reality
array allows immersive experience
without the disorienting 3-D
goggles
PHILADELPHIA -- 12-May-2003:
The University of Pennsylvania
has installed a virtual reality
system that allows a participant
full-body interaction with
a virtual environment without
the hassle of bulky, dizzying
3-D glasses. The system will
be demonstrated for journalists
and others Thursday, May 15.
Key to the installation,
dubbed LiveActor, is the pairing
of an optical motion capture
system to monitor the body's
movements with a stereo projection
system to immerse users in
a virtual environment. The
combination lets users interact
with characters embedded within
virtual worlds.
"Traditional virtual
reality experiences offer
limited simulations and interactions
through tracking of a few
sensors mounted on the body,"
said Norman I. Badler, professor
of computer and information
science and director of Penn's
Center for Human Modeling
and Simulation. "LiveActor
permits whole-body tracking
and doesn't require clunky
3-D goggles, resulting in
a more realistic experience."
LiveActor users wear a special
suit that positions 30 sensors
on different parts of the
body. As the system tracks
the movement of these sensors
as an actor moves around a
stage roughly 10 feet by 20
feet in size, a virtual character
-- such as a dancing, computer-generated
Ben Franklin, Penn's founder
-- can recreate the user's
movements with great precision
and without a noticeable time
lag. The system can also project
images onto the array of screens
surrounding the LiveActor
stage, allowing users to interact
with a bevy of virtual environments.
LiveActor's creators envision
an array of applications and
plan to make the system available
to companies and researchers.
Undergraduates have already
used LiveActor to create a
startlingly realistic but
completely imaginary 3-D chapel.
The array could be used to
generate footage of virtual
characters in movies, sidestepping
arduous frame-by-frame drawing.
LiveActor could also help
those with post-traumatic
stress disorder face their
fears in a comfortable, controlled
environment.
"The system is much
more than the sum of its parts,"
Badler said. "Motion
capture has traditionally
been used for animation, game
development and human performance
analysis, but with LiveActor
users can delve deeper into
virtual worlds. The system
affords a richer set of interactions
with both characters and objects
in the virtual environment."
While stereo projection systems
have in the past been limited
to relatively static observation
and navigation -- such as
architectural walk-throughs,
games and medical visualizations
-- LiveActor can be used to
simulate nearly any environment
or circumstance, chart user
reactions and train users
to behave in new ways. Unlike
actual humans, virtual characters
can be scripted to behave
consistently in a certain
way.
###
LiveActor was made possible
through a grant from the National
Science Foundation with matching
funding by Penn's School of
Engineering and Applied Science,
as well as equipment grants
from Ascension Technology
Corporation and EON Reality.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Steve Bradt
bradt@pobox.upenn.edu
215-573-6604
University of Pennsylvania
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