Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!olivea!mintaka!ogicse!milton!hlab
From: esz001@cck.coventry.ac.uk (Will Overington)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: VR hardware questions
Message-ID: <1991Jun25.160207.1283@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 25 Jun 91 15:20:09 GMT
References: <1991Jun24.153351.13571@milton.u.washington.edu>
Sender: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu (Human Int. Technology Lab)
Organization: Coventry Polytechnic, Coventry, UK
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Approved: cyberoid@milton.u.washington.edu



In article <1991Jun24.153351.13571@milton.u.washington.edu>,
dtj@sumac.cray.com (Dean Johnson) writes, in part:

>3. How 'bout starting a list of scientific problems for which VR may
>   serve as a "silver bullet". This group of problems does not include
>   things like "flying around the Puget Sound" (sorry Bob) or entertainment 
>   type problems. An example of a "silver bullet" solution would be something 
>   like a flight simulator, with which a company (or government) can 
>   economically and safely train and test pilots. I would also like to try 
>   and keep to a minimum, the problems where VR is just an incremental 
>   improvement over more traditional 3D graphics. I am talking about big 
>   wins with problem solving enhancements in the realm of magnitudes.

On the matter of keeping to a minimum the problems where VR is just an
incremental improvement over more traditional 3D graphics...

The plain fact of the matter is that for me, and, I suspect many others,
particularly people who are not at the centre of things in virtual reality,
but would like to learn more and contribute where they can, it is a question
of doing what one can with a standard PC and maybe some special board or
a virtually home made gadget to plug into the back of the PC via a standard
port.

Otherwise one can do nothing.

Now, I agree that to get anywhere significant, things that are in a league
above this need to be the main thrust.

However, can I suggest that, in carrying out your excellent suggestion,
the group seeks to find a number of areas where lower level contribution,
such as by final year undergraduates doing a project on a PC with a few
electronic components, if any, plugged in the back, would be valuable.

Such projects, well done, could well be the starting point for later
postgraduate work. At least, it would be a way to get started.


[MODERATOR'S NOTE:  Contact Randy Pausch (Univ. of Virginia) at 
pausch@cs.uva.edu for details on his PC-based system.  There are also
systems running on Amiga's (check the archives of last Autumn 1990) 
and Autodesk has been running its Cyberspace prototype on PC's, also.
Finally, Sense8 uses a Sun workstation, almost a PC.  The fact of the
matter is that one can work on a PC, but the design options are
extremely limited currently.  Others may have other opinions. -- Bob
Jacobson]