AlloSphere three story virtual environment not available for birthday parties, Bat Mitzvahs

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara are developing an immense, wholly immersive VR environment that would allow groups of researchers the opportunity to explore their data aurally and visually on a scale never before seen. The AlloSphere is a three story metal sphere housed in an echo-free chamber, large enough that twenty researchers can stand on a bridge and take a walk through an atom, for instance, or a human brain. The project relies on a supercomputer for generating real-time, high-res 3D video and audio streams from a mountain of scientific data, and currently the team is hard at work building the bad boy's computing platform and interactive display. The project leader JoAnn Kuchera-Morin has yet to state whether or not the sense of smell would be incorporated into the finished product, but we sure hope not -- that would be rather distracting, don't you think? Check it out on video after the break.

[Via TED]

[OneLove @ Apr 16th 2009 10:52AM]

Is a Mitzvah something batman would use?

[Jeff P. @ Apr 16th 2009 11:14AM]

No, no, no...Bat Mitzvah is a NEW superhero. He's the Jewish version of Batman. I'm not sure what his superpower is but I hear he's quite frugal.

[glenn s @ Apr 16th 2009 12:17PM]

Not sure if that is humor, or not. But just for the record, A "Bar Mitzvah" is a Jewish right of passage for boys. The "Bat Mitzah" (pronounced 'bot", as in robot) is the same thing for girls. These are not translations of the Hebrew words, they are just the approximations of how the pronounce the Hebrew words spelled with English letters. These are called transliterations. Sometimes to transliterations don't even sound exactly like they are written.

And I think this place would be super cool for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

[OneLove @ Apr 16th 2009 3:08PM]

@Glenn s: joke aside, thanks for the knowledge. (I did not know that)

[Brdystyls @ Apr 16th 2009 10:56AM]

No more like X-men.

[alfriede @ Apr 16th 2009 11:26AM]

this has to be one of the most useful tools ever created by man, with limitless potential for surgeries, psychological understanding and treatment, dimentia, alzheimers, 3D video, art design, architecture, product manufacturing, et al. i think this could have infinite uses!

[Johnny @ Apr 16th 2009 11:28AM]

As cool as this is, the speaker sure does sound bored with it. Maybe she should sit in on a couple of toastmaster meetings.

[BradS @ Apr 16th 2009 11:29AM]

Imagine porn on this thing. Nothing like a 16-foot tall ass in your face. Hope that isn't too high-res.

One more reason not to implement Smell-O-Vision.

[Wes @ Apr 17th 2009 11:19AM]

Smell o visiom would be the worst idea eva!!!! Atleats when ur dealing with vagina. But dayum. A 3 story tall vigina. Id think id shit myself.

[OneLove @ Apr 16th 2009 3:11PM]

penis-in-vagin-O-Vision.

[The Observer @ Apr 16th 2009 11:35AM]

Crysis!!

[Lythrin @ Apr 16th 2009 11:37AM]

I wonder if it'll run doom?

[Necrotix @ Apr 16th 2009 11:46AM]

I would so load up Halo 3 on this...

[BradS @ Apr 16th 2009 1:30PM]

Would that make it Halo3D?

[Karan @ Apr 16th 2009 11:52AM]

That was awesome......I can;t imagine the kind of power it gives to realize the ideas of nanotech scientists.....

[Hackettman @ Apr 16th 2009 11:56AM]

You know this along with those moving platforms can make a pretty sweet vr machine....... If it had smellovision....... Mmmmmm the smell of flesh after you freshly napalm some newbs......

[michael @ Apr 16th 2009 1:56PM]

Imagine... imagine... iiiimaagine.... IMAGINE! Sounds like she took a note from Steve Jobs on how to give a presentation.

[Will @ Apr 16th 2009 10:03PM]

As a UCSB student, they were recently offering tours of the AlloSphere, so I am going to experience it in person in 2 weeks. Its amazing that even here, I barely have heard of it, The only way I found out about it was from music majors who know JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, but when signups came out for tours they all filled up within an hour. I cant wait to see it in person.

[bw @ Apr 16th 2009 11:05PM]

Too amazing for words! and that lady is a genius, explaining all that complexity with so much ease.