vr
Latest
Macworld Expo 2007 QuickTime VRs
While we whipped out our own photo galleries feature last week for Macworld 07, Panoramas.dk specializes in putting together QuickTime VRs of major events and places. TUAW reader Christian Chladek just tipped us off to Panoramas.dk's new Macworld 07 gallery, containing over 15 full-screen VRs of various booths from the likes of Canon, Microsoft, Crumpler (their booth really was pretty unique) and - of course - the iPhone in its awe-inspiring rotating glass case. The VRs look pretty nice and are one more way to 'be there' without being there. We just wouldn't recommend trying to lick the iPhone display.
Group promises dedicated VR "Neuronet," skepticism ensues
An upstart organization calling itself the International Association of Virtual Reality Technologies (IAVRT) looks to be out to bring back the VR glory days, recently announcing that it's planning nothing short of an entirely new network that'll be all VR all the time, existing alongside the plain-old, apparently not-suitable-for-VR Internet. According to the organization, this new network, called the "Neuronet," is possible as a result of the "massive overcapacity of fiber optic cable left over from the dot-com era," which makes it "feasible with minimal investment." To cover some of those other costs, IAVRT says it'll soon begin accepting pre-registrations for .vr and .cin ("cinematic virtual reality neurosites") domains, with the organization also planning on operating as an ICANN-like governing body. Not surprisingly, the announcement has been met with a fair bit of skepticism (to put it kindly), due in no small part to the complete lack of details on anyone involved with the organization, not to mention the little matter of practicality. The reBang weblog in particular has been doing lots of digging into the legitimacy of the group, and while not turning up anything conclusive, it has led to a wide range of speculation, even including remote possilibility that it's all an elaborate Alternate Reality Game (ARG). It looks we should know soon enough, however, with IAVRT reportedly set to announce "several major partnership announcements" in the coming weeks.Read - International Association of Virtual Reality TechnologiesRead - reBang, "Is Neuronet a Scam?"Read - CNET, "Virtual reality to get its own network?"[Via Slashdot]
Researchers turn to VR to treat phantom limb pain
Researchers at the University of Manchester are turning to virtual reality once again, not to have another go 'round at proving whether telepathy is real or not, but to help individuals with amputated limbs recover from so-called "phantom limb pain," a sensation wherein amputees appear to feel pain in their lost limb. The treatment involves patients donning the requisite headgear and data gloves, allowing them to explore a virtual world with their missing limb restored. Patients then perform various tasks that trick the brain into thinking it can control the missing limb, something earlier studies suggested would help alleviate the often unbearable pain. While the study is definitely on the small side -- just five patients -- the researchers seem to be quite enthused with their findings, reporting that four of the subjects achieved significant reductions in pain, in one case after just a single session. Cause for further study, no doubt; let's just hope our British friends don't completely give up on their more esoteric endeavors.
Ultimate gaming experience or pain in the neck?
We doubt this is a legit product, though The Daily Mail claims the abomination comes from Toshiba and allows "the wearer to experience a full 360-degree view on a 40 centimetre dome-shaped screen." Bollocks! Funny, regardless of authenticity, however. [Thanks, jayntampa]
DIY project merges VR goggles with RC airplane
Those crafty Canadians, they've invented everything from the beloved BlackBerry to medicalbots. Well, let's add another really sweet creation (DIY-style, this time) to the mix: a radio-controlled airplane with an on-board wireless pan-tilt camera that's linked up to a pair of VR goggles to show what the cam sees. When the terrestrial-bound viewer wears said goggles and moves his or her head, the plane-based cam will adjust accordingly -- if the viewer looks up, the cam looks up, and if the viewer looks to the left, the cam looks to the left, et cetera. Just check out the video linked below, for an amazing aerial tour of the "Club de golf Royal" in Bromont, Québec (near Montreal).[Via digg]
Virtusphere brings together VR, hamsterball technology
We here at Joystiq are all about the virtual reality technology, but the current state-of-the-art in hand-waving leaves us a little wanting. Enter the Virtusphere, a 10-foot tall, 400+ pound hollow steel sphere with sensors that translate every step into in-game movement. The Russian-made device, which has apparently been in development since at least 1996, uses a head-mounted display and handheld controller to allow free, immersive exploration and viewing of a 3D world.The device seems targeted primarily towards military and police training uses, but the possibilities for gaming are obvious. Just the idea of using this thing for some Super Monkey Ball or even American Gladiators-style Atlasphere matches gets us all excited. What game world would you like to explore in a giant, virtual hamsterball?[Thanks bassbeast]
Researchers test telepathy in virtual world
Those mad scientists at the University of Manchester are at it again, first repairing broken bones with inkjet printers, then simulating velociraptor attacks, and now trying to determine once and for all if telepathy is real -- using virtual reality, of course. About a hundred individuals are expected to take part in the experiment, which'll also test if telepathic abilities are stronger between people that already know each other. In the tests, two subjects will be placed far apart from each other, on different floors of the building (to avoid cheating), each donning VR helmets and gloves that plop then into a virtual environment. One of the individuals is then presented with an image that they're supposed to concentrate on and interact with, while the other is shown four items, from which they must pick the other person's object. We give this about an 80% chance of being inconclusive, a 10% chance of it proving that telepathy is real, and a 10% chance that things go completely haywire, giving everyone involved super telepathic abilities.
Powered Shoes take virtual reality input to new level of nerdy
We can't say you're going to look like a total stud walking around in your new "Powered Shoes" virtual reality gear, but if you're like us and studliness was never an option, then why not throw all fashion to the wind and strap on a bit of VR gadgetry? The basic premise is the motorized rollerskate wheels, which allow you to stay in place while walking, and track those movements to a simulation or game. Once you get everything up and running you can blaze along at a whole 2 feet per second, which might make virtual world even more boring than this one, but it's the principle of the thing, no?[Via MAKE]
Iowa State's C6 VR room upgrading to 100 million pixels
Iowa State University has just announced a $4 million overhaul of its so-called "C6" virtual reality room that will enable a total of 100,000,000 pixels to be displayed on all six 10-foot by 10-foot surfaces in the room, and supposedly make it the most realistic environment of its kind in the world. In use since June of 2000, C6 has served a role in projects for fields as diverse as urban planning, cell biology, and mechanical engineering, and is currently being funded by military grant money to develop a VR room which would enable a single operator to remotely view and control a squadron of unmanned planes. To give the refurbished room an impressive sixteen times the resolution of its current iteration, researchers at the school's Virtual Reality Applications Center are hooking 24 Sony digital projectors up to an HP server stuffed with 96 graphics processors, as well as adding eight channel surround sound and motion tracking software. Iowa State students looking to break into the room at night for some absolutely sick FPS action can do so this fall.[Via ZDNet]
VR video game gets your hamster in on the action
Traditional playtime between humans and their pets has generally been limited to fetch, tug-of-war, and the occasional chase around the coffee table before bedtime. Well if researchers from the Emerging Art and Architecture Research Group, or RASTER, and Singapore's Mixed Reality Lab have anything to say about it, pet owners will soon be able to kick those old fashioned games to the curb in favor of video games that let their animals get in on the action. The group is in the midst of designing a game called "Mice Arena", wherein the human player is pursued by an on-screen avatar controlled by a real world hamster, which chases a piece of motorized bait corresponding to the human's position on the in-game map. What's more, the hamster's game space -- a specially designed tank -- actually adjusts its terrain to match the on-screen action through a series of actuators underneath the floor. Future games from the collaborative -- and we'll leave the jokes to you on this one -- will incorporate decidedly less pet-like animals in the fun, with tentative titles such as (we're not making this up): "Chicken Petman" and "Jellyfishtrone."
