From: rick@cs.arizona.edu (Rick Schlichting)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: INDUSTRY: ICAT Conference 92, Tokyo: Kahaner Report
Date: 12 Aug 92 20:24:03 GMT
Organization: University of Washington
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu



[MODERATOR'S NOTE: Rick Schlichting moderates the excellent
comp.research.japan, in which this posting also appears. -- Bob
Jacobson]


  [Dr. David Kahaner is a numerical analyst on sabbatical to the 
   Office of Naval Research-Asia (ONR Asia) in Tokyo from NIST.  The 
   following is the professional opinion of David Kahaner and in no 
   way has the blessing of the US Government or any agency of it.  All 
   information is dated and of limited life time.  This disclaimer should 
   be noted on ANY attribution.]

  [Copies of previous reports written by Kahaner can be obtained using
   anonymous FTP from host cs.arizona.edu, directory japan/kahaner.reports.]

From: 
 David K. Kahaner
 US Office of Naval Research Asia
 (From outside US):  23-17, 7-chome, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106 Japan
 (From within  US):  Unit 45002, APO AP 96337-0007
  Tel: +81 3 3401-8924, Fax: +81 3 3403-9670
  Email: kahaner@cs.titech.ac.jp

Re: Int Conf Artificial Reality & Tele-existence, 1-3 July, Tokyo
5 August 1992  This file is named "icat.92"

ABSTRACT. 2nd Int Conf Artificial Reality & Tele-existence, 1-3 July, Tokyo


ICAT'92, the Second International Conference on Artificial Reality and 
Tele-existence, was held 1-3 July 1992, in Tokyo. More than 150 
scientists including about about two dozen non-Japanese participated in 
this event, which is the largest international "virtual reality" (VR) 
conference held in Japan. Papers were presented in Japanese and English 
with simultaneous translation. The conference chair was 

      Professor Susumu Tachi
      Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST)
      University of Tokyo
      4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153 Japan
       Tel: +81 3-3481-4467; Fax: +81 3-3481-4469
       Email: tachi@tansei.cc.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Professor Tachi is one of the key researchers in Japanese activities 
related to VR, see my report [vr.991, 9 Oct 1991], and [vr.791, 5 Sept 
1991]. I have discussed some of his work in these earlier reports and so 
will not repeat that. He gave a comprehensive paper detailing the current 
status of VR research, making the point that work is converging from 
various, initially independent, directions. Thus work on man-machine 
interfaces, teleoperation, real-time and computer simulation, art & 
holography, CAD, computer graphics, etc., have all evolved almost 
independently but now can be put to use to further the VR field. (ONR 
should note that important early work in teleoperation was done at the 
Naval Command Control and Ocean Surveillance Center, formerly NOSC, in 
1983, although since then the research leadership has moved to other 
places.) Tachi distinguishes VR from tele-existence although he admits 
they are essentially the same things with a different point of view. VR 
enables humans to experience events and acts in a virtual environment 
just as if they were in the real world. Tele-existence allows humans, who 
are assumed to be emancipated from the restrictions of time and space, to 
exist in a "location" defined by inconsistent time and space, or a 
virtual space. He provides a long list of potential applications of T-E 
and VR, but summarizes these by saying that they "will be the tools for 
3Cs and 3Es, i.e., communication, control, creation, entertainment, 
education, and elucidation. He believes that todays motion sensors, 
including head, eyes, limbs, trunk, etc., are just the beginning of human 
measurement input that will occur. In future these will be supplemented 
by EEG, EMG, blood pressure, pulse, perspiration, respiration, etc., 
which will all be used to estimate human intent, and can then interface 
with either a real environment (such as a robot, aircraft, etc) or a 
virtual environment including even another virtual human. He also 
predicts that B-ISDN will be the vehicle that will make possible the 
connection between people and facilities, real and virtual, as well as 
makes possible the access to a VR database.  

I have attached to this report the abstracts of all the papers presented 
at ICAT'92. My discussion focuses on the Japanese contributions although 
in my opinion the two papers that generated the most interest were both 
by Western authors, Bryson's description of a virtual wind tunnel based 
on experiments at NASA, and Becker's presentation of a high resolution 
head mounted display, (1120x900 pixels). Lack of resolution in head 
mounted displays has been a constant complaint from researchers as well 
as users. Another interesting Western paper was by Marcus, who surveyed 
force feedback technology and in particular her own company's products 
specialized for the medical market. She made an intriguing point that it 
was her hope that VR was a good tool for representing phenomena that were 
normally imperceptible to humans.  Most of the remaining Western papers 
related to amusements, art, products for entertainment, design issues, 
etc., emanating from a very strong entrepreneurial culture. The Japanese 
contributions tended to be more scholarly and academic. Some "almost" 
Japanese products were described (a tactile mouse was very interesting) 
but otherwise, the emphasis seemed to be on studies, testing, 
engineering, etc.  

ICAT ended with a panel on the status and future of this topic. All but 
one of the panelists were optimistic although some were more practical 
than others.  (Robinett (U-North Carolina) felt that VR was still a 
solution looking for a problem.) Jacobson (recently moved from U-Wash to 
his small VR company) felt that a broad appeal to business was needed, 
and that could occur if the use of VR to provide information solutions to 
information problems was emphasized. He also remarked that SigGraph has 
not served the VR community well, and that a more specialized 
professional society was needed.  Marcus, at the other end of the 
spectrum emphasized that there should be simple product focus, i.e., 
don't try to be all things to all people.  Apparently her company EXOS, 
is successful, so her comments were taken very seriously by the audience.  

The Japanese research community is heavily dependent on products and 
prototypes developed in the West. Just about all the VR hardware that is 
being used (except for items specially designed at university labs) is 
built by Western firms.  The technology to do this obviously exists in 
Japan, but as yet the large electronics companies have not entered the 
field yet.  Perhaps they will wade in while marketing consumer games 
using VR technology. What seems missing here is the spin off from 
University or company labs that produces so many small low overhead shops 
(often staffed with ex-professors) striving to break into the market with 
a new idea.  However, at least with respect to VR research things seem to 
be getting better in Japan.  Applications to communication and 
transportation are pushing the research along. VR's fad status has 
actually helped, and Japanese university research funding is improving. 
There was even talk of a VR research consortium, perhaps centered at Keio 
University.  

Another key Japanese researcher is M.Hirose (U-Tokyo), who has been 
working on the development of a "virtual dome" (VD).  Experiments have 
shown that while wearing a head mounted display (HMD), users need to have 
a visual field of view of 80-100 degrees to provide realistic sensation, 
and updating that much information in real time is difficult.  Hirose has 
been concerned that there is an appreciable time delay in updating scenes 
when users move their head. This can give rise to discomfort and 
sometimes nausea. I have certainly experienced this while using some VR 
systems. The key principle of Hirose's VD is that the camera viewing the 
"real" scene and the human operator's head movements are basically 
asynchronous. Hirose uses a rotating camera unit, a communication unit, 
and a virtual space generator (VSG). In the latter a virtual spherical 
dome is constructed via a set of polygons that are built from images 
taken by the camera. Images in the user's field of view are copied from 
the virtual dome to the HMD. This is a very clever system, involving the 
integration of three distinct parts in a sophisticated way, but it has 
many opportunities for improvement including better image compression for 
transmission, inclusion of 3D (now only 2D) and other sensor integration, 
such as touch, auditory, walkthrough, etc.  

One of the nicest prototypes was the force-display mouse, developed by 
scientists Akamatsu and Sato at the Industrial Products Research Institute. 
(Akamatsu was supported by ONR during a research visit to Marseilles
France.) This is a simple mouse with a small hole in its top through
which a short cylindrical pin (1x2mm) can protrude from the inside. The
up or down position of the pin can be controlled and hence can be
programmed to coincide with position of a cursor on a screen. The pin is
driven by a pull type solenoid via a lever mechanism. It is covered by a
rubber film, which is fixed to the the backside of the press button of
the mouse. This serves to return the pin to its rest position when the
control signal is turned off. When the pin is in the up position it is
easily felt by anyone holding the mouse in a normal manner. (The pin has
a stroke of 1mm). The mouse is also enhanced by the use of a small
electromagnet which can also be programmed to increase the friction of
the mouse ball by about 12-15%. Together, the pin and magnet can provide
both tactile and force feedback. The authors' experiments asked users to
move a workstation cursor and click on one of several displayed icons.
They timed the responses, and also tabulated the number of "misses".
When the cursor is placed within the box the pin is raised and the
magnet is activated, both of which can easily be felt by the user.  The
effect is to increase the assurance the user has about "landing" on the
target, or equivalently reducing the time it takes to make such a hit,
and these were confirmed by experimentation.  Improvements were about
10%.  There is nothing fancy about this device, and we were told that
its incremental manufacture cost relative to a conventional mouse is
low. (The prototype mouse weighs 148 grams; a normal mouse weighs about
100 grams.) Of course, application software needs to be built to utilize
these feedback mechanisms, but this seems fairly simple to do.  The
mouse was available for experimentation, attached to a mouse port on an
NEC laptop.  There was a big crowd around it and everyone was impressed
that the concept really works. A definite winner.  We were told that
plans were already underway to develop a marketable version.

Moving through virtual worlds is mostly done by "flying", but Iwata and 
Matusda, from Tsukuba-U, are experimenting with a walking system. The 
user has his/her feet strapped to special rollers to simulate walking.  
The scientists feel that more realistic sensation of movement can occur 
in this way, but at the same time the equipment needed is much larger, 
and users are required to stand. Nevertheless they have performed some 
experiments suggesting that using such a system allows users to more 
accurately judge distance than by "flying".  

Buss and Hashimoto (U-Tokyo) are hoping to develop a virtual skill data 
base. The emphasis here is on a compliance model of motion through a 
sensor glove and a grip transformation matrix.  Their sensor glove allows 
ten degrees of freedom, 3 for the wrist, 3 for the index finger, 2 for 
the thumb, and 2 for the rest of the fingers.  This was a very 
interesting paper because the authors are thinking about automating skill 
acquisition, skill transfer, and assisted manipulation.  As an example, 
they study a pen that is grasped by four fingers, in which the tast is to 
move the fingers down the pen's length without breaking contact.  It is 
definitely worth following the progress of this research.  A related 
research direction, but with less sophisticated hardware was presented by 
Ang [see the report "ia.92", 15 June 1992].  

Toshiba scientists described what is in principle, a very simple approach 
to displaying a 3D image in space. Of course, one way to do this is using 
holography, and Benton's (MIT) work seems to be out in front in this 
regard.  The method proposed here uses a 2D LED panel that vibrates 
perpendicular to its plane 30 times each second over an extent of several 
centimeters.  During its vibration, pixels on the panel are illuminated 
to represent cross sections of a volume. By careful choice of vibration 
time, number of section planes, type of LED's etc., it is possible to 
give the impression of a 3D object represented by its sections.  By using 
an optical relay system the image can be visualized in an open space into 
which the user can place a pointing device and hence interact.  At the 
moment only simple shapes can be represented, such as boxes and spheres.   
Although resolution is still quite low, the authors illustrated an 
application to displaying air flow in a room containing a small air 
conditioner and a table.  

NTT scientists Suzuki and Kouno described their view of a virtual 
collaborative workspace. They object to the use of a head mounted display 
(HMD) because, covering both eyes, facial expressions cannot be shown, 
and for a similar reason the immediate physical environment is not 
visible.  On the other hand HMD permits stereoscopic sensations. The 
approach they have decided to study uses a simple one-eye display that 
the user holds, something like half a pair of glasses, containing a color 
camera, and a speaker, and mike. They call this an intelligent handset 
(ScopeHand). The idea is that the picture seen by the covered eye tracks 
the movements of the user's face, making him/her feel as if he/she is 
using a large display of even multiple displays. For collaborative tasks, 
a wide workspace such as a conference table is needed to lay out 
materials. A camera is included in the handset, so pictures taken from it 
are from the user's point of view, and show everything seen by the user. 
In order to realize a shared workspace, pictures of the table top and 
gestures of the user's hands as taken by his/her face camera are 
superimposed. In order to see faces, an external camera is placed where 
the "other party" would be. The picture of the partner's face is shown 
whenever the viewer looks directly at the external camera, in just the 
same way one would look at a person across the table. Of course, when you 
look at your "partner" you will see a partially obscured face, so Suzuki 
and Kouno performed some experiments to determine to what extent this 
detracted from the sense of understanding the other's expression.  
(ScopeHand is small but not trivial, 300x110x40 mm, and 450grams.) The 
scientists claim that the images from the handset are naturally fused 
with the real image from the uncovered eye and that masking a single eye 
is comparable to masking the mouth in terms of recognition of expression.  
Their approach is unconventional and interesting, but needs a great deal 
of work to become practical. I was surprised that the ScopeHand needed to 
be held, tying up one hand, and wondered why it did not have a head mount 
of some kind.  

NEC is also working on cooperative multi-person tasks, in particular
using a collection of workstations on a network. Each user wears a VPL
DataGlove and a liquid crystal shutter eye-glass system enabling stereo
display. Each user's workstation has its own 3D virtual world, with
objects having shape, color, location, direction of movement, etc.
(Shapes are represented by splines.) Only one user at a time can grasp
an object. This and other shared services are provided by an object
management server, which also initializes objects and manages all
changes. The prototype applications here are CAD activities, so certain 
relevant functions such as object cutting and bending, color changing, 
etc., are implemented. The current system is running on a pair of 
Silicon Graphics IRIS-4D workstations plus one NEC workstation that acts 
as an object server. The authors comment that at present the workstations 
are connected by a Ethernet, but plan to re-implement their system using 
a broad band network to permit much faster interaction.  This is yet 
another example of the trend in Japan to develop prototype products 
depending on the existence of high speed networks, such as B-ISDN.


For further details, copies of papers or the conference Proceedings, 
contact the authors, Prof Tachi, me, or the ICAT Secretariat.  

          Japan Technology Transfer Association
          Plaza Mikado Bldg, 6F
          14-5 Akasaka 2-chome
          Minato-ku Tokyo 107 Japan
           Tel: +81 3-3584-0207; Fax: +81 3-3585-9369
           Email: ICAT@ATR-SW.ATR.CO.JP

--------------------------------------------------------

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS PRESENTED AT ICAT'92. 
    ARTIFICIAL REALITY AND TELE-EXISTENCE
              -Present Status and Future Prospect-

                  Susumu Tachi
               RCAST, The University of Tokyo
               4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153 Japan
                Tel :81-3-3481-4467, Fax:  81-3-3481-4469
                Email: tachi@tansei.cc.u-tokyo.ac.jp

   ABSTRACT
  Artificial reality or virtual reality is a technology which presents a 
human being a sensation of being involved in a realistic virtual 
environment other than the environment where he or she really exists, and 
can interact with the virtual environment.  Tele-existence is a concept 
named for the technology which enables a human being to have a real time 
sensation of being at the place other than the place where he or she 
actually exists, and is able to interact with the remote and/or virtual 
environment. He or she can tele-exist in a real world where the robot 
exists or in a virtual world which a computer has generated. It is 
possible to tele -exist in a combined environment of real and virtual 
Thus tele-existence and artificial reality are essentially the same 
technology expressed in different manners. In this paper, present status 
and future prospect of this key technology for the 21st century, i.e., 
virtual reality and tele-existence, is considered as a tool for 
communication, control, creation, entertainment, experience, and 
elucidation.  

--------------------------------------------------------

  VIRTUAL WORLDS RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA

      Warren  Robinett
      Computer Science Department
      University of North Carolina at Chapel flill

  ABSTRACT
  Computer-generated imagery presented with a head-Mounted Display puts 
the user inside a three-dimensional simulated world called Virtual 
Reality. The simulated world may be a fantasy world, or it may be a 
scientist's model created to explore properties of the real world.  

 But the computer graphics of Virtual Reality need not be isolated from 
the real world. The two worlds can be optically superimposed, so that 
computer-generated objects, images and labels appear to the user 
spatially superimposed with the ordinary world. By connecting sensors to 
a head-mounted display, the user can perceive phenomena that are not 
normally perceptible at all -- the user can see the invisible. For 
example, using an ultrasound sensor connected to a head-mounted display, 
a doctor could see inside his patient's body. We call this a "sensory 
transducer." 

 Another example is that by linking a Scanning Tunneling Microscope to a 
Head-mounted Display, the human user may experience simulated presence on 
a microscopic surface.  

--------------------------------------------------------

   HIGH RESOLUTION VIRTUAL DISPLAYS

     Allen Becker
     Reflection Technology, Inc.
     230 Second Ave., Waltham MA 02154

    ABSTRACT
   A virtual display with 1120x900 pixel resolution has been constructed 
using a high density LED array and scanning optics.  The display has a 
field of view of 25x20 degrees. The display is small, light weight, and 
suitable for hand-held or head-mounted use.  Pixels appear red on a jet 
black background. Individual pixel size is 1.3 arc minutes, which is near 
the resolution limit of the human eye.  Pixels appear crisp and sharply 
defined. Contrast ratio is over 500:1. The paper describes operation of 
the display in detail and discusses design trade-offs encountered in the 
development of high resolution virtual displays. Extension of this design 
to other resolutions and field of views is also explored. Planned 
production models of the display are described.  

--------------------------------------------------------

    SKILL ACQUISITION FOR THE INTELLIGENT ASSISTING
        SYSTEM USING VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATOR

        Hideki HASHIMOTO and Martin BUSS
        Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo
        7-22-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106, Japan
         Tel: +81-2 3402-6231 Ext 2359/2360;  Fax: +81-3-3423-1484
         E-mail: martin@ics.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp

    ABSTRACT
   In this paper we propose a new forthcoming research topic of an 
Intelligent Assisting System - IAS. Using this system we want to approach 
the identification and analysis of human manipulation skills. Once 
manipulation skill can be identified and modeled it is fair to say that 
it can be learned by currently available technologies leading to a Skill 
Data Base. Using this data base the IAS will be able to perform rather 
complex manipulations on the motion control level. Through repeated 
interaction with the operator for unknown environment states, the 
manipulation skills in the data base can be increased on-line. We propose 
a model for manipulation skill based on the grip transformation matrix, 
which describes the dynamic transformation between the object goal 
trajectory and contact conditions. The dynamic behavior of the  grip 
transform is regarded as the essence of the performed manipulation skill. 
We describe be the experimental system setup of the IAS and some results 
confirming the calibration method of the sensor glove. Some simple 
manipulation examples and simulation results show the feasibility of the 
proposed manipulation skill model.  

--------------------------------------------------------

    A VIRTUAL REALITY SYSTEM USING A VOLUME SCANNING 3D DISPLAY

      Ken-ichi Kameyama, Koichi Ohtomi
      Research and Development Center
      Toshiba Corporation
      Ukisima-cho, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa, 210 Japan
       Tel: +81 44-288-8028, Fax: +81 44-288-8214
       Email : {kameyama, Ohtmi}@mel.uki.rdc.toshiba.co.jp

      Yukio Fukui
      Human Engineering Department
      Industrial Products Research Institute, M.I.T.I
      1-1-4, Higashi, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki, 305 Japan
       Tel: +81 298-54-6760; Fax: +81 298-54-6608
       E-mail: fukui@ipri.go.jp


    ABSTRACT
  This paper describes a newly developed virtual reality (VR) system or a 
data visualization system in which a user can actually put his/her hands 
into the image and can interact with the image in the virtual world 
without a helmet or glasses. Therefore, this system can realize a kind of 
unencumbered VR which is very difficult to realize with conventional 
systems. The system is composed of a volume scanning 3-dimensional (3D) 
display for creating an autostereoscopic image, an optical relay system 
for translating the image into another free space, and a multi-
dimensional input device for a user to interact with the image.  The 
system has been applied to shape modeling, physical simulation data 
visualization, and medical data imaging.  

--------------------------------------------------------

   TO LIVE AND LEARN IN 3D
      Exploring The Use of Immersion Environments For Education

      David C. Traub
      COMPEC
      Centerpoint Communications Group
      434 South First Street, San Jose, CA  95113
       Tel:  408 993-9388; Fax:  408 993-1056

   ABSTRACT
   This paper explores the use of computer-generated "immersion' 
environments (aka virtual reality, artificial reality, telepresence) as 
an optimal component to a learning mix combining the best assets of 
entertainment and educational design. Couched within the description of a 
leaning model that progresses from information retrieval through 
collaborative learning (teacher-led social interaction) to individualized 
reflection, I review the five principal components to the evolution of 
believable, plausible immersion environments for education: 3D CGI 
projection systems, narrative-based expert systems, DSP-based projection 
system, 3D audio systems and interface clothing. I conclude with the 
outline of an exemplary model of an imagined virtual reality learning 
experience, and close with caveats as to the likelihood of virtual 
reality actually finding its way into institutional learning 
environments, and with a brief sketch of the potential psychodynamic 
dangers of photorealistically compelling virtual reality. While these 
technologies are not quite evolved to the point of enabling complex, real 
time and dynamic interactions with realistic, simulated characters, the 
converging computer and AI technologies supporting virtual reality are 
pointing in this direction.  

--------------------------------------------------------

   REAL FUN, VIRTUALLY: Virtual Experience Amusements & Products
        in Public Space Entertainment

     Steve Glenn
     Vice President, New Business Development
     SimGraphics Engineering Corporation
     1137 Huntington Drive, South Pasadena, CA 91030
      Tel: 213-255-0900; Fax: 213-255-0987

  ABSTRACT
  Ask most amusement industry analysts what technology seems to define 
next generation amusement systems and they will probably tell you 
"virtual reality." Ask them what it means and you may get a different 
answer from each person you ask.  

 This paper begins with an examination of what is virtual reality, and 
explores how and why virtual reality technologies are being increasingly 
incorporated in public space amusement products and attractions.  
Included are specific discussions of relevant consumer trends, virtual 
experience attractions in malls and theme parks, and near and long term 
emerging product trends.  

--------------------------------------------------------

  FEEDBACK TECHNOLOGY AND VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS
    Beth Marcus, Ph.D.
    President EXOS Inc

   ABSTRACT:
   The evolution of input devices has been caused by an evolution in 
computer software and hard- ware capabilities. Mainframes moved aside for 
the ubiquitous PC which has evolved into the desktop workstation.  
Concurrently, tables of numbers evolved into graphics and ultimately 3-D 
images which are animated and can be modified in realtime. Along with 
this increased capability was an increase in the, number of parameters to 
be manipulated. Initially an array of devices were added until the power 
users desk resembled a child's busy box with as many knobs, dials, touch 
pads and other positioning devices as there was room. The computer and 
software manufacturers were faced with two choices: build bigger desks 
and clone more arms for power users, or develop more capable and 
adaptable input devices and take advantage of humans natural dexterity 
and coordination. Luckily for the users, economics and common sense 
pointed towards developing advanced input devices.  

  The link between the human sensory motor system and the computer is 
either a barrier to productivity or a natural conduit through which 
information and experiences flow. Feedback technology is ready to become 
the link which will begin the evolutionary process of closely coupling 
the human system with the computer. In the near term these evolving 
technologies can be used to solve real world problems in many application 
areas including business, medicine, design, and entertainment.  

--------------------------------------------------------

  VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS IN SCIENTIFIC VISUALIZATION

     Steve Bryson
      Applied Research Office, Numerical Aerodynamics Simulation Division
      NASA Ames Research Center, MS T045-1, Moffett Field, Ca. 94035
       Tel:  (415) 604-4524;  Fax: (415) 604-3957
       Email: BRYSON@NAS.NASA.GOV

  ABSTRACT
   The use of virtual environments in scientific visualization is 
surveyed. Successful examples are discussed in depth. Lessons about the 
usefulness and applicability of virtual environments to scientific 
visualization are drawn. Lessons learned from these applications for the 
development of virtual environments are also drawn.  Difficulties in the 
application of virtual environments to scientific visualization are 
discussed. Possible futures are briefly examined.  

--------------------------------------------------------

  VIRTUAL COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACE

    Gen SUZUKI and Takashi KOUNO
    NTT Human Interface Laboratories Visual Media Laboratory
    1-2356 Take, Yokosuka-shi, Kanagawa-ken, 238-03 Japan
      Email: gen@ntthcs.ntt.jp, kouno@ntthcs.ntt.jp

  ABSTRACT
  This paper proposes the concept of a "Virtual Collaborative Workspace" 
as a widely acceptable Telecommunication service.  A model of the 
collaborative workspace and the basic functions needed for this service 
are described. Based on these descriptions, the concept of an intelligent 
handset that integrates the basic functions needed for visual 
telecommunication is proposed. System configuration of the handset is 
discussed with the view of realizing a "Virtual Collaborative Workspace." 
In order to confirm this concept, a psychological evaluation is conducted 
on face masking to confirm the usefulness of facial expressions. The 
prototype of the intelligent handset (Scopehand) is implemented. Use of 
the prototype system confirms the effectiveness of the concept.  

--------------------------------------------------------

   A VIRTUAL REALITY SYSTEM FOR NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS
       - Multi Party Cooperative Work in Real-time -

    Katsuya Shinohara, Ryuichi Hiraike, Manioru Hashimoto, Nobutatsu Nakamura
     C&C Systems Research Laboratories, NEC Corporation
     1-1, Miyazake 4-chome, Miyamae-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 216, JAPAN,
       Tel: +81-44-856-2175, Fax: +81-44-856-2232 
       Email: shino@tsl.cl.nec.co.jp

   INTRODUCTION
   Tele-virtuality is an important current research topic of virtual 
reality technology. In order to realize it, the system reported here 
links virtual reality technology with network communications.  Each work 
station in this system has an identical virtual world. Each user 
interacts with virtual objects in the virtual world at his workstation, 
and his actions and their results are reflected in real time in the other 
virtual worlds. The system enables several users, working from different 
locations, to participate in a common virtual world and to carry out 
cooperative work in real time. We also describe object handling methods 
and data communication among workstations.  

--------------------------------------------------------

   DESIGN AND VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

     Mark T. Bolas, Fake Space Labs

   ABSTRACT
   This paper investigates the relationship between the design process 
and Virtual Environment systems. This relationship is explored in three 
separate categories: Design With Virtual environments, Design For Virtual 
Environments, and Design Of Virtual Environments. Each category is 
discussed in general. Specific examples and discussion are drawn from the 
author's first hand professional experiences.  

--------------------------------------------------------

  VR APPLICATION FOR TRANSMISSION OF SYNTHETIC SENSATION

          Michitaka Hirose                  Kensuke Yokoyama
             Department of Mechano-Informatics
             Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo
             7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113, Japan
              Tel: +81 3 3812-2111 ext.6369
              Fax: +81 3 3818-0835
              E-mail:  hirose@ihl.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp
                       yokoyama@adogora.ihl.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp

   ABSTRACT
    Telecommunication with realistic sensation is becoming a topic of 
growing concern. For such types of telecommunication systems, it is 
crucial to provide wide fields of view. However, when Head Mounted 
Displays are used to provide a wide field of view, the time delay which 
occurs between head movements and displayed images presents a serious 
problem. To address this problem, a new telecommunication system called 
the "Virtual Dome" was developed. The system consists of a rotating 
camera head unit, communication unit and graphics workstation. The 
rotating camera head unit gathers the complete image of the surrounding 
area from a remote location while the graphics workstation generates the 
virtual spherical screen inside of which the user can experience the 
visual sensation of being in the remote location. Since the two 
subsystems work asynchronously, the time delay between head movements and 
the displayed image while looking around is minimized. The Virtual Dome 
makes it possible for us to experience better realistic sensations 
associated with being a a remote place.  

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    VIRTUAL BASEBALL

        John N. Latta        David Oberg
        4th Wave, Inc.       Global Outpost, Inc.
        PO. Box 6547         335 Paint Branch Drive
        Alexandria, VA       College Park, MD
          22306 USA            20742 USA
         Tel: (703) 360-4800; FAX (703) 360-2311
         Email: D3580@AppleLink.Apple.COM

  ABSTRACT
   Virtual Baseball is the conceptual design of a Virtual Reality game 
driven by a systems engineering approach and market considerations.  The 
emphasis is placed on quality of participation to emulate actual baseball 
and not by current limitations of the technology. The design process is 
described first from a set of objectives then to requirements and on to a 
set of specifications. A range of implementations are considered 
including both conjugate and immersive. The market considerations for 
Virtual Baseball are examined to provide a practical framework for the 
positioning of the game, its derivative products and cost.  

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  THE NETWORKED VIRTUAL ART MUSEUM

    Carl Loeffler, Project Director
    Carnegie Mellon University

    The Networked Virtual Art Museum project supports the design, 
development, and operation of long-distance, multiple-user, networked 
virtual reality environments.  

   The project team is designing and constructing a multi-cultural art 
museum articulated through networked virtual reality and established by a 
grid of geographically distributed participants. The nodes are 
interconnected using modem-to-modem or high bandwidth telecommunications. 
Each participating node will have the option to interact with the virtual 
environment and contribute to its shape and content. Participants are 
being invited to create new galleries, install works, or commission 
researchers and artists to originate new works for the museum.  Further, 
guest curators will have the opportunity to organize special exhibitions, 
explore advanced concepts, and formulate the basis for critical theory 
pertaining to virtual reality and cultural expression. The museum will 
function as a stand-alone installation and will be easily transportable 
for presentation in cultural or industrial venues.  

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     MOUSE TYPE INTERFACE DEVICE WITH TACTILE AND FORCE DISPLAY
         - Multi-Modal Integrative Mouse -

       Motoyuki AKAMATSU,  Sigeru SATO
       Industrial Products Research Institute, 1-1-4 Higashi,
       Tsukuba, 305 Japan
        Tel: +81 298-54-6772; Fax: +81 298-54-6608
        E-mail: akamatsu@ipri.go.jp

     ABSTRACT
     A mouse type interface device which allows to give tactile and force 
information to the computer operator has been developed.  Tactile 
information is displayed by pushing the ventral face of the index finger 
by a small pin from a hole of the button of mouse.  Force information is 
given by increasing the resistance for movement of the mouse by a small 
electrical magnet. The tactile and force information are controlled by 
software which are linked to the visual information of targets of the VDT 
display. The operator of the mouse can get visual, tactile and force 
information which indicate when the cursor is in the right position of 
the target. The evaluation experiments showed that additional tactile and 
force information made the response time short and made the effective 
target size large.  

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    HAPTIC WALKTHROUGH SIMULATOR:
         Its Design and Application to Studies on Cognitive Map

                Hiroo IWATA  and  Keigo MATSUDA
     Institute of Engineering Mechanics, University of Tsukuba
      Tsukuba, 305 JAPAN

   ABSTRACT
    Walkthrough simulation is effective for design and presentation of 
building or urban space. This paper presents method  of  implementing 
walkthrough simulator which provides haptic feedback for walking motion. 
The walker wears omni-directional sliding devices on the feet, which 
generate feel of walking while position of the walker is fixed in the 
physical world. Scene of virtual space is displayed by a head-mounted 
display corresponding with the motion of the feet and head. The system is 
applied to studies on human spatial recognition process, which is called 
"cognitive map". Distance estimation is selected as a fundamental problem 
in cognitive map. From the results, the exponent of the power function 
for estimated distance decreases as the memory load increases.  Comparing 
two conditions, walking and flying by hand gesture, it is observed that 
haptic feedback for the walking motion improves the performance of 
distance estimation.  

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  INFORMATION DESIGN FOR VIRTUAL AND ARTIFICIAL REALITY

     Hal Thwaites, Assistant Professor, Concordia University
     Director, 3Dmt Center, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W.
     Montreal, Quebec, Canada  H4B 1R6
      Tel: (514) 848-2539; Fax: (514) 843-3492
      Email:  Hal@Vax2.Concordia.CA

     Dr. M. Malik, Professor Adjunct, Concordia University
     Research Associate, 3Dmt Center, Montreal

     ABSTRACT
      The paper describes a biocybernetic approach to information 
analysis, and information design for emerging high-density 3D 
communication media such as Virtual and Artificial Realities.  The 
methodology of information design incorporates the latest advances in 
neuro-cybernetics, artificial intelligence, expert systems and the first 
guidelines under which the "software" for such systems should be 
developed. The inherent dangers of information overload, information 
cascade break-ups and interruptions are pointed to, if the information 
design is simply transferred from the traditional communication media 
production routines. In conclusion, 3D audio-visual information design 
practices over the next decade are discussed.  

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     ADAPTING TRADITIONAL MEDIA FOR VIRTUAL REALITY ENVIRONMENTS

      David M. Geshwind, President
      LATENT IMAGE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
      Two Lincoln Square, New York, NY 10023 
       Tel: 212 873-5487

   INTRODUCTION
   There is a great deal of hype surrounding the field of Virtual 
Reality. It has been heralded as a paradigm shifter that will 
revolutionize everything from education to entertainment, medicine to sex. 
At that same time, we have heard that Virtual Reality is also (second 
only to nuclear energy, perhaps) the technology most likely open to 
misuse of dystopic proportions.  

 The hype aside, there is much to be excited about, and I am as enthused 
as anyone. As a baby boomer and a card carrying member of the first TV 
generation, I have grown accustomed to the ten-mega-bit-per-second rush 
of information that is television -- it takes a lot to get my attention. 
The experience of immersion and interactivity afforded by Virtual Reality 
is new enough and dense enough to be truly interesting, independent of 
program content.  Eventually, however, this newness will wear off; 
content and usability will become the important aspects of VR 
applications.  

 With all the excitement, something basic is overlooked. The first 
'alternate' reality that we have any record of are cave paintings in 
France and Spain, about 40,000 years old. The concept, that reality could 
be represented -- or even influenced -- by image, probably had a more 
profound impact on the culture at that time than VR will have today.  

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