HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: Chris Chesher <c.chesher@uts.edu.au>
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: PHIL: Virtual vs. Artificial Reality
Date: 22 Dec 1992 19:52:00 GMT
Organization: Uni of Technology, Sydney
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu



In article <1992Dec19.134547.62174@cc.usu.edu> , SLB96@CC.USU.EDU writes:

>> Is there a difference between virtual and artificial reality?  I
>> have been under the impression that they are one and the same,
>> with 'virtual' being the usual term.  However, I have a professor
>> who insists otherwise.  Does anyone have a good reference,
>> or just opinion on the matter?
>> 
>> Thanks
>> 
>> Sean Graves
>> sean@cs.tamu.edu
>
>   Well, if I read right, no, they are not the same.  In 'Virtual
>Reality' by Howard Reingold (spelling?), he says that (and again, I
>THINK that this is what it said) Virtual Reality involved external
>items (such as DataGloves and HMDs).  Artificial Reality didn't need
>the gloves or the HMDs.  Hope this is accurate information.  If it
>isn't, someone else correct me.

It's Rheingold.

Virtual reality is a term usually used to describe immersive computer
generated environments, using head mounted displays and input devices
such as the dataglove.

Artificial reality is a term coined by Myron Kreuger, and implemented 
in Videoplace. Kreuger's system uses a video camera and back lit 
screen, and a "desk" which has a down-facing video camera as inputs.

Artificial reality recognises gestures and allows the user to interact 
with their own image on a large projection display. 

So virtual reality and artificial reality are quite different
experiences. 

Much of this terminology is used interchangeably, and I don't think 
there's necessarily a right or wrong clearly established. For the 
moment it's best to ask people to be specific about what exactly they 
mean when they talk about VR, artificial reality, virtual environments, 
cyberspace, telepresence, and so on. 

_-_
            
            Chris Chesher
            C.Chesher@uts.edu.au
            
                                        _-_
From: diego@minerva.st.dsi.unimi.it (Diego Montefusco)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: TECH: Realistic Hand Model driven by DataGlove
Date: 31 Dec 92 08:47:46 GMT
Organization: University of Washington
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu



Hi all!

I've worked with a DataGlove for some time now (a base model: 10
sensors), and I'd like to know if anyone else who has worked with it
has come up with a good solution of a problem I found.

I'd like to have a good wire-frame model of the hand (but the same
problem should apply to solid modeled ones). By wire frame HERE I mean
that each finger is just a serie of 3 segments, not "strips".

The problem I found is the THUMB: since the DataGlove can't detect all
movements of the first joint of the thumb (i.e. the one which links
the finger and the hand), without additional sensors, I was wondering
around WHICH axis the thumb should twist about: it surely isn't one of
the coordinate ones (X,Y,Z), and I've come out with a strange one,
empirically (sp?) found with trial and error. But it still doesn't
satisfy me. Infact if I make an OK posture, touching thumb and index,
the on-screen hand doesn't do the same, having always some
mis-alignment (sp?) between the two fingers. It surely depends on the
fact that I LOCKED the thumb movement on the WRONG plane.

Has someone else found a better solution? Reply directly to me, and
I'll summarize if there's enough interest.

Thanks very much and HAPPY NEW YEAR to all the Net!

Diego

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From: diego@minerva.st.dsi.unimi.it (Diego Montefusco)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: CONF_INFO?: looking for proceedings (virtual reality)
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 92 14:36:21 CET
Organization: University of Washington
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu



In <9212211929.AA12424@ghost.dsi.unimi.it>, on Dec 21, you wrote:

> From: freedman@crim.ca (Paul Freedman)
> Subject: CONF_INFO?: looking for proceedings (virtual reality)
> Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 17:47:18 GMT
> Organization: Centre de Recherche Informatique  de Montreal
> 
> greetings from montreal.
> 
> looking for information about the following proceedings
> (the librairian here has had no luck):
> 
> International Conference on Artificial Reality and Tele-Existence
> July 9-10, 1991
> Tokyo, Japan

I received them FREE e-mailing at:

icat@atr-sw.atr.co.jp

For this year's proceeding, you have to pay 30,000 yen! I think I'll
ask them again NEXT year!

Diego Montefusco
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 Diego Montefusco                        B E W A R E ! !
  Via Pirano, 4                        PLEASE REPLY ME TO:
  20127 Milano                    montefus@ghost.dsi.unimi.it
    ITALIA                            (not to the account
phone:  +39 (0)2 27001467             I'm e-mailing from!)
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From: diego@minerva.st.dsi.unimi.it (Diego Montefusco)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: INFO?: Sony Visortron vr goggles...
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 92 20:43:36 CET
Organization: University of Washington
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu



In <9212291020.AA11892@ghost.dsi.unimi.it>, on Dec 29, you wrote:

> From: adam feuer <adamfast@u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Re: INFO?: Sony Visortron vr goggles...
> Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 00:21:25 GMT
> Organization: university of washington
>
> Sony says a few hours of viewing do no harm to the user's
> eyes.

I wouldn't be so sure. Fixing the accomodation of the pupil for such a
long time would HARM. 15-20 mins should be the max time to fix the
focus, because the eye is used to change focus VERY often.

The only solution would be a variable-focus optic system, which I
don't think is the case.

Anyway this VisiTron sounds REALLY interesting.

Diego
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------
   | Diego Montefusco     |         Computer Science Department          | 
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Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
From: carter@ecf.toronto.edu (CARTER EDWARD A)
Subject: TECH: OS Design?
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu
Organization: University of Toronto, Engineering Computing Facility
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1992 22:29:33 GMT



Bonjour.

I'm curious as to the current efforts with regards to virtual
environment Operating System design.  Specifically, have any standard
metaphors been agreed upon or at least discussed?  I'd greatly
appreciate information, such as books and periodicals, which discusses
recommendations and proposals of such metaphors for an OS.

Regards, Ted.

---
University of Toronto Computer Engineering
PowerUsersGroupChairman
From: kai@kai.nada.kth.se-dd-dd (Kai-Mikael J\d\d-Aro)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: EVENT FLASH! Stockholm Multi-G live Internet feed, Dec 18th!
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 14:29:20 GMT
Organization: Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu



   [MODERATOR'S NOTE: Are there videotapes in both PAL and NTSC formats
   of the event, for those who were unable to tape it off the net? -- Bob
   Jacobson]

We do have PAL tapes, though I haven't watched them through (there was
some concern about the audio quality).  If there's interest we could
of course convert to NTSC.  (It's rather expensive to convert, so we'd
rather have some orders for tapes first to break down the cost of it.)

Kai-Mikael J{{-Aro      email:  kai@nada.kth.se     "Don't win, don't lose."
IPLab                   voice:  +46 8 790 91 05         -- Yoshigasaki-sensei
NADA, KTH               fax:    +46 8 790 09 30
S-100 44  Stockholm     telex:  812 6154 7052 SICS
SWEDEN                  teletex:2401-812 6154 7052=SICS
From: diego@minerva.st.dsi.unimi.it (Diego Montefusco)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: APPS: VR and Medicine?
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 92 14:43:15 CET
Organization: University of Washington
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu



In <9212220713.AA25416@ghost.dsi.unimi.it>, on Dec 21, you wrote:

> From: Jonathan Seah <100022.3014@CompuServe.COM>
> Subject: APPS: VR and Medicine?
> Date: 21 Dec 92 16:39:40 EST
> 
> =============================================================
> M E D I C I N E      A N D     V I R T U A L    R E A L I T Y
> =============================================================
> 
> Hi everyone,
> 
> Do any of you know of currently/soon/maybe feasible applications for VR in
> the field of clinical/research medicine/surgery?
> 
> If so, I'd really like to hear from you, either here or via email.

You should check out this years "Medicine meets VR" proceedings
(available also in audio tapes). Contact:

Medicine Meets VR
P.O. Box 23220
San Diego, CA 92193 USA

Or Dr. Harry Murphy (hmurphy@vax.csun.edu) for the proceedings of VR
and People with Disabilities.
 
> And MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL! (And cheers especially to Bob & Mark!)

Thanks and to you too!

Diego Montefusco

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Diego Montefusco                        B E W A R E ! !
  Via Pirano, 4                        PLEASE REPLY ME TO:
  20127 Milano                    montefus@ghost.dsi.unimi.it
    ITALIA                            (not to the account
phone:  +39 (0)2 27001467             I'm e-mailing from!)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
From: kai@cyklop.nada.kth.se-dd-dd (Kai-Mikael J\d\d-Aro)
Subject: Re: EVENT FLASH! Stockholm Multi-G live Internet feed, Dec 18th!
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu
Organization: Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1992 20:20:08 GMT



In article <1992Dec17.190354.18032@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> jbb@livia.acs.Virgi
nia.EDU (Joseph B. Burch) writes:

   Okay, given a SPARC and the downloaded software - no source, only
executables for SunOS, man pages and so forth - how does one connect
to the conference?

Sorry not to have been able to reply in time, but there will be other
conferences.  Do the following:

Start sd, the Session Directory.  You will then get a window with a
list of all broadcasts currently active.  You can click on any of
those and get additional information.  If one seems interesting, just
press the Open button and sd will automatically start the relevant
software for audio and/or video (vat and nv or ivs), connect them to
the right hosts and ports and so on and that's it.  Real user
friendly.

You can have sd running somewhere in a corner of the screen.  It
continuously updates its display of active broadcasts so you'll
immediately see if there's something interesting going on.

I intend to write a review of the workshop in the near future and also
go through the experiences of this video broadcast experiment.

-- 
Kai-Mikael J{{-Aro      email:  kai@nada.kth.se     "Don't win, don't lose."
IPLab                   voice:  +46 8 790 91 05         -- Yoshigasaki-sensei
NADA, KTH               fax:    +46 8 790 09 30
S-100 44  Stockholm     telex:  812 6154 7052 SICS
SWEDEN                  teletex:2401-812 6154 7052=SICS


[MODERATOR'S NOTE: Are there videotapes in both PAL and NTSC formats
of the event, for those who were unable to tape it off the net? -- Bob
Jacobson]
From: diego@minerva.st.dsi.unimi.it (Diego Montefusco)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: TECH: Info req: VR floaty apparatus thingy
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 92 19:54:44 CET
Organization: University of Washington
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu



In <9212290853.AA10338@ghost.dsi.unimi.it>, on Dec 29, you wrote:

> From: thinman@netcom.com (Technically Sweet)
> Subject: Re: TECH: Info req: VR floaty apparatus thingy
> Date: Tue, 22 Dec 92 12:19:03 -0800
> 
> I hit Disneyland week before last.  Drizzle, no lines.
> 
> The arcade there has lots of stuff I've never seen before.  Among
> other things, a version of the SEGA G-Loc (I think that was the name)
> in a spherical harness.  $4 a shot.  G-Loc is one of those
> fighter-pilot pov games.  It had two circular mounts with a base set
> that looked like it also moved the sucker.  There is no horizontal
> ring.
>
> A kid played, spun around like crazy and didn't puke.  The harness
> spins pretty quickly, I was generally impressed by the engineering.

The system is the SEGA R360. I played it in London (Trocadero Centre)
and I think the game running on it was After Burners, always a fighter
pilot pov game.

Before climbing in, you are asked to take off anything could fall
during the game (coins, keys..) then you are locked in the seat with
rigid safety belts, quite tight.

On the right of the cockpit there's a BIG RED BUTTON to stop the
machine at any time during the game. Before the games itself begins,
you are given a little shake and roll with a 360 degree rotation in
all of the two directions the system allows.

When the game begins you have to lift off... and you really feel like.
You pull the joystick and you find yourself upside down...

It is very funny to use, and YES! it is FAST. I was more concerned
about putting me with the head up than with the game itself. Anyway I
highly recommend a play.

I asked the attendant about the price and he sayed something like
$300K...  The funny thing was that right after that game I went to
play with Virtuality VTOL (again a jet game): when I pulled the cloche
and NOTHING moved I was going to take off the HMD and go away!!

This made me start thinking about the IDEAL videogame... networked,
with voice communications between teams (like the BattleTech Centre),
moving or at least rolling all around (like this Sega R360), with an
immersive HMD (something better than Virtuality, please). This would
obviously give some safety problems...

Diego
From: thinman@netcom.com (Technically Sweet)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: APPS: VR word proccesing?
Date: 21 Dec 92 19:35:15 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Dec22.071540.22997
Organization: International Foundation for Internal Freedom
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu



AKOSSOWSKY@TURBO.kean.edu (Andy Kossowsky) writes:

>Has anyone heard of a VR app that creates a virtual keyboard,
>and lets you accuratly type?

SUN's 3470 terminal emulator for NeWS included a full keyboard on the
screen; this was good because 3470 has lots of weird keys and
sometimes it's just a major pain to look up on a cheat sheet what key
combination on your terminal makes a "Send Page" or whatnot.

How you do this in VR, I don't know.  Here are two possibilities for
an encumbered-style keyboard:

        1) Casio MIDI saxophone.  These things were consumer
        toys, little electronic saxes.  I've got mine running
        as a computer keyboard and plan to switch over in an
        attempt to deal with tendonitis.

        2) Strap a 5-key chord keyboard to your left thigh.


Lance Norskog

Data is not information is not knowledge is not wisdom.
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
From: jmunkki@vipunen.hut.fi (Juri Munkki)
Subject: Re: INFO?: Anyone has Toshiba Glasses?
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 15:29:37 GMT


In article <1992Dec20.194139.17390@u.washington.edu> TJR122@PSUVM.PSU.EDU writes
:
>If anyone answers Peter's question about the Toshiba glasses, I'd
>REALLY appreciate it if they'd post it here (as opposed to or in addition
>to EMAILing him privately)...I haven't heard about these Toshiba glasses,
>but would love to hear about them!

Here's my standard letter to anyone who now asks where one can get Sega
glasses:

----------
I got my glasses ages ago from a Sega dealer in Finland. You can get
Toshiba LC glasses instead. They are of better quality, but cost $70.
I think they are 100% compatible with the Sega interface.

You can buy them from REEL-3D Enterprises,Inc:
P.O. Box 2368, Culver City, CA 90231
they take all major credit cards: (310) 837-2368

I have no experience with the Toshiba glasses, but I know people who use them.
----------

>From the rend386-list discussion, I got the impression that they are compatible
with Sega glasses. This is all I know.

-- 
  Juri Munkki                                          Windsurf: fast sailing
 jmunkki@hut.fi                                       Macintosh: fast software
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
From: dream!Ray_Hines@bikini.cis.ufl.edu (Ray Hines)
Subject: Re: INFO?: VR directional sensor functionality
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu
Organization: DreamStates BBS & CyberNet HQ in G'ville, FL   1-904-331-4317
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 06:20:52 GMT



In a message dated Sun 20 Dec 92 6:33, Akossowsky@turbo.kean.edu (andy
Kos wrote:

 AK>        I recently had the pleasure of using the Dactyl Nightmare VR
 AK> game systema friend of mine.  Ever since I tried this I have been
plagued
 AK> with the question, how does the system detect head and hand movements.
 AK>         The hand interface is not a glove, instead it is a gun.
 AK>         Is a field generated somewhere in the room and the head and
 AK> gun sensors it? or is everything based on magnetic north and gravity? 
I
 AK> would love to know this.

 AK> --- Reply by Andy Kossowsky :

 AK> The Virtuality system, As far as I know is based on a magnetic
 AK> position detector similar to the Polhemous, the magnetic field
 AK> is generated fron the ring that surrounds you and is picked up
 AK> by the helmet and 'gun'.  Virtuality, by the way, is based on an
 AK> Amiga with a suped-up graphics system and CD-ROM storage.

I was told that it uses the technology (Birds of a Flock) a company
called Ascension produces.  It uses magnetic fields to track the
movements.  As far as I can gather, it has a unit in the HMD and one
in the free floating gun/joystick.  It's about $3000 a unit, whew.
     

-- Via DLG Pro v0.995

* IF replying by MAIL, please reply to the addresses listed below...
--__-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 / /\     Raymond Hines              Internet: Ray_Hines%dream.uucp@ufl.edu
/_/  \  DreamStates BBS                    or: dream!Ray_Hines@ufl.edu
\ \  /   1-904-331-4317                  UUCP: uflorida!dream!Ray_Hines
 \_\/ FidoNet 1:3601/30  DreamStates: An Amiga supporting Amiga, Mac, IBM!
From: VENTO LUCY IRENE <vento@rintintin.Colorado.EDU>
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: TECH: Networked VR Computer Systems?
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 20:42:13 -0700
Organization: University of Washington
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu



Hi, my name is Lucy Vento.  I am a graduate student in
telecommunications at the Unviersity of Colorado at Boulder.  I am
doing my thesis on virtual reality.  I am focusing on how to network
computer systems together that use virtual reality as the end user
interface.  The networks can either be local, wide area or long
distance.  In the future if a system can be designed that uses a
centralized database with VR applications that can be transported to
remote locations, many VR applications can utilize this format and be
available to a large number of people.

I am eagerly searching for journal articles or contact names to get
additional information in this area.  If anyone has more information,
I would appreciate if you could send me email. Also if anyone is
working on a similar projects, I am willing to share whatever
information I receive.

My email address is:  vento@rintintin.colorado.edu

Thank you!  --Lucy Vento
From: bradw@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Brad Wyble)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: TECH: Using an IBM as a dumb interface
Date: 27 Dec 92 16:41:53 GMT
Article-I.D.: shelley.1hp8nuINNf80
Organization: Brandeis University
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu



I'm still interested in interfacing to a Mac and I've had the
following idea.  How feasible is it to use an IBM as a dedicated
interface unit and have it output a signal to com port which would
then hook to a Mac?  The IBM could constantly poll both (or more)
gloves and keep the info handy, then the Mac would send a request for
either glove and the IBM would send a packet of info....

This one's to anyone with a clue about the PGSI: how easy will it be
to hook this thing to a Mac?  I've gathered that so far everything's
been done on an IBM.
 
                                -bradw@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu
From: jmains@engr.LaTech.edu (John P. Mains)
Subject: TECH: Controlling a VR environment through interfacing?
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu
Organization: University of Washington
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 16:14:18 GMT



Hello,

I am a senior undergrad biomedical engineer at Louisiana Tech.  I am
interested in a variety of aspects of controlling a VR environment
through various types of interfacing.

This year we are working on final design projects and I am hoping on
designing a new interface or enhancing existing ones.  Unfortunately
very little technical data exists.  Therefore, I am trying to
establish some contacts that can help me with the technical aspects.

Thanx
John P. Mains
jmains@engr.latech.edu
From: diego@minerva.st.dsi.unimi.it (Diego Montefusco)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: TECH: Filtering head position/orientation data
Date: 31 Dec 92 08:47:43 GMT
Organization: University of Washington
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu
Originator: hlab@stein.u.washington.edu



I am now working with PC-based Sense8 WTK system. I'd like to
implement some kind of filtering on the position/orientation data of
the head tracker (a Polhemus Isospace). Well actually I am more
interested in ORIENTATION data...

I've read about the Kalman predictive filtering, but, although I don't
really know it, it sounds REALLY computational expensive, and on a 486
we're not that rich.

If someone can on the other hand say it is NOT expensive, well...
better!

If it is, I'd like to hear about any idea to cheaply (and therefore, I
know, not very accurately!) filter the data, trying to reduce lag and
so predict the... next move. Maybe some kind of mean...

ANY IDEA under the Christmas tree for me?

Diego

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Diego Montefusco                        B E W A R E ! !
  Via Pirano, 4                        PLEASE REPLY ME TO:
  20127 Milano                    montefus@ghost.dsi.unimi.it
    ITALIA                            (not to the account
phone:  +39 (0)2 27001467             I'm e-mailing from!)
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