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From: frerichs@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (David J Frerichs)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: FVT will be on display
Message-ID: <16638@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 17 Feb 91 19:18:57 GMT
References: <16472@milton.u.washington.edu> <16594@milton.u.washington.edu>
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Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
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In article <16594@milton.u.washington.edu> cyberoid@milton.u.washington.edu
(Robert Jacobson) writes:
>
>A "self-contained" VR system would seem to defy the meaning of virtual
>reality, as the experience of a virtual world contained within a computer
>memory.  Would it have a belt-clip on CD-ROM to produce worlds?  And how
>would the self-contained unit measure its wearer's position in space?
>These are important design questions that, until they are answered, will
>continue to puzzle readers of these postings about the Illinois 
>development.
[deleted]
>Bob Jacobson
>HIT Lab

Clarifications on the FVT system:

By self-contained, they mean that the hardware is totally independant of 
ANY desktop workstation or external hardware. (ie it's total custom hardware)
As a stand-alone unit, it generates a virtual world that is contained within
its memory.

But...
No computer is an island.  Although it is a self-contained entity it does have
ports for network connection (modem or ethernet).  This makes it possible
for multiple units to create an interactive environment between them.
(BTW, I have found that it takes very little data exhange between two VR
engines to give the illusion that both users are in the same environment.)

Also...
The total cost of FVT's system will be under $1000.

I hope that this answers some questions about the system.  I wish I could be
more specific about the hardware, but those will have to wait till the
public display.

Anyone interested in seeing the unit in action should come to the
Engineering Open House here at the University of Illinois, Urbana on
March 1st.

[dfRERICHS
 University of Illinois, Urbana         Designing VR systems that work...
 Dept. of Computer Engineering          Networked VR.
 IEEE/SigGraph                            _    _    _
 frerichs@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu              _/_\__/_\__/_\_
 frerichs@well.sf.ca.us                  \_/  \_/  \_/                     ]