In what is a surprising throwback to VR of the 90′s, Sensics is demonstrating their new “Smart Goggles” at CES this week. A classic head mounted display that combines head-tracking with 3D visuals, this one adds the twist of supporting Android 4.0 apps.
The Smart Goggles graphics arent very good the Wii puts them to shame, really, but the company promised that its games would get more immersive and more impressive over time. Sensics is also planning to completely remove your controller from the equation, so instead of pressing a button to punch youll actually punch. No word yet on pricing, or when the Smart Goggles will be available they seemed rather unfinished in our time playing with them, but were hoping theyre expensive — otherwise were going to be seriously dangerous to others while we crush the city around us.
So, “Virtual Reality” may not be quite the right term for this for it’s an impressive college design project. Combining a pico projector with a head-tracking camera, they’re able to use the user’s head as an input device and display computer output on the screen in front of them, and they managed to hook it up to some mainstream apps like flight simulations and military FPS sims.
In this video, our group of three ECE students (two software engineers and one power systems engineer) made a project that allows for a more immersive gameplay environment. Your head, tracked via the webcam using face-tracking software, can be used as a control input to various computer games which allows for different gameplay experiences. The motorized projector moves along with your head to give you a view angle at all times.
Virtual Reality is fairly commonplace in the automotive industry, but Citroen wanted to revamp their existing facilities with something more modern and powerful. Nvidia and Scalable Graphics managed to merge up some Holobench displays, Quadro workstations, and some graphics magic to create a new cutting-edge solution detailed on NVidia’s blog.
A cluster of 20 workstations using NVIDIA Quadro FX5800 GPUs drives the PSA VR system. Previously, compute resources would be assigned to one of the three projection systems. But with resource pooling, those workstations can be switched to feed another display, increasing performance and improving the immersive experience. For instance, if the Holobench projection system isn’t in use, its workstations can be assigned to the Cave, rather than sitting idle.
If you enjoy playing Fruit Ninja on your iPhone or iPad, then you should check out what some enterprising germans have built inside a 4-walled cave at FH-Wedel.
VR-Project at FH-Wedel Germany in a 4 sided CAVE
Virtual Reality based on 3D cognition, placed sounds over a 5.1 sound system, buttkickers in the floor and haptic feedback through a Wii-Mote.
The National Engineering School of Saint Etienne (ENISE) needed a specialized Virtual Reality system for mechanical validation of products, a new area they call “sensory engineering”.
To accomplish the main missions of ENISE, which are training, research and valorisation of local technological and engineering projects, the sensory engineering has a very important role, especially for the valorisation mission of the school. It consists in supporting local industrial actors in the validation and valorisation of their technological projects, whether they concern project reviews, ergonomic validations or industrial flow simulations. For example, a machine manufacturing mechanical parts of an engine would need a prototype validation for each part and also for their assembly. The virtual reality through virtual prototypes makes it possible with a high level of simulation and anticipation of efficiency.
They wound up with an impressive solution from a variety of vendors. Two Steward Filmscreens (2 meters by 1 meter) are mounted in an L, and projected on by 4 projectiondesign passive Infitec projectors. Then using TechViz software, they have a stereoscopic 3D display table that allows them to visualize models from such software as SolidWorks and CATIA interactively at a high framerate.
At the recent I/ITSEC 2010 conference in Orlando, Virginia-based NVIS virtual reality display manufacturer was demonstrating their wares when they were visited by Michael Bosworth of VR Solutions. VR Solutions creates training tools for the Australian army and several other training facilities across Asia, and took the new nVisor ST50 that was developed for the US Army (shown).
“As a supplier to partners working for the Australian army and various training facilities across Asia, we are always looking to work closely with innovative manufacturers such as NVIS who are able to tailor or deliver products for their intended purpose.”
Read the full press release after the break. (Note: It’s mostly a fluff piece, but worth knowing a few companies if you’re into HMD’s).
The MUVE Virtual Patient Care Simulation Lab aims to provide a virtual environment for the training and education of medical specialists, based on the tools of Second Life. The fully interactive environment is part virtual world, part test as the user can select individual medications for IV’s and tools for patient care.
MUVE Market Virtual Patient Care Simulation Lab is an outstanding platform for medical training. Here is a compelling and detailed video that highlights some of the great features they offer and which are made possible in the Virtual World of Second Life.
Looks like the Purdue University Calumet will be getting some nice upgrades at the Center for Innovation through Visualization & Simulations (CIVS), courtesy of a $50k award from BP. Planned for equipment acquisition and activity development, they’ll be merging simulations with 3d visualization and VR techniques.
“Over the years, Purdue Calumet and BP have collaborated in technology development in ways that improve the quality of life in our region,” Purdue Calumet Chancellor Howard Cohen said. “This gift, for which we are extremely appreciative, will enable us, through our CIVS facility, to build on our capability for responding to challenges in ways that benefit our region.”
Some will say that this is just BP trying to ‘repair’ their image after the Gulf disaster, but anything to bring more visualization support to the issue would be welcome. And who knows, maybe this will help prevent a sequel:
As a CIVS supporter, BP has benefited from the facility’s capabilities. In fact, Purdue Calumet faculty and students and BP research and design engineers have used CIVS computational fluid dynamics modeling to address corrosion and other concerns at BP’s Whiting refinery.
Vuzix, creators of the Wrap920 video eyewear product, have just released a new software product (free!) for the device that opens it to private software development and virtual-reality uses. The new ‘Vuzix VR SDK’ is a royalty-free SDK enabling integration of stereoscopic video and head-tracking support into your own software that automatically configured to support the full suite of Wrap products.
In addition to the software announcement, the press release drops some hints about a few new products called the Wrap Tracker 6TC and Wrap 920AR. The Wrap Tracker is probably some type of head-tracking devices, while the 920 AR may allow for either an integrated video camera (for augmented reality work) or possibly semitransparent screens allowing viewing of the direct field in front of you, with overlaid information.
The product is Windows Only. Full release after the break.
A neat tool from the MIT Media Lab could be useful in tools like ZBrush where 3D Sculpting can be somewhat difficult to imagine when working with fundamentally 2D tools like a Flat Panel. Using a ‘Collapsible Pen’ and special display hardware, they create an augmented tool that can be ‘pushed’ into virtual reality.
Beyond was created by the MIT Media Lab and is a pretty genius, glasses-less way to create 3D on a 2D surface. The 3D on 2D surface magic uses the collapsible pen, a tabletop display, an infrared position tracking system to track the pen, and a camera to track the user's face so it can tweak the angle of the 3D effect. The collapsible pen is actually rather simple, with only basic electronics and 2 infrared markers behind the magic.
So, “Virtual Reality” may not be quite the right term for this for it’s an impressive college design project. Combining a pico projector with a head-tracking camera, they’re able to use the user’s head as an input device and display computer output on the screen in front of them, and they managed to hook it up to some mainstream apps like flight simulations and military FPS sims.
If you enjoy playing 
Looks like the Purdue University Calumet will be getting some nice upgrades at the Center for Innovation through Visualization & Simulations (CIVS), courtesy of a $50k award from BP. Planned for equipment acquisition and activity development, they’ll be merging simulations with 3d visualization and VR techniques.
VizWorld.com 
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