One of the themes they explore is simulation and visualization and it was felt that a Wedge was suitable for illustrating these concepts in a powerful and engaging way. The program begins with an introduction to stereo imaging explaining how the viewer is presented separate left and right images via the stereo glasses. Due to the constraints of the museum environment we used a joystick for navigation and interactivity. This had the beneficial side effect of approximately fixing the viewer s position in the environment, negating the need for cumbersome and expensive tracking devices. The first thing they do when they grab the handle is push and pull it in every direction, then push every button on the handle.
Adults seem to be more reticent.
We initially had one of the buttons on the joystick reset the viewer s position, thinking that this would stop people from becoming lost for any length of time. However it was not unusual to have an adult holding the button down for the entire length of the program, wondering why nothing was happening. The reset button is now a separate button beside the joystick. With the short development time allowed for this project, we didn t achieve as much interactivity as we had desired. We re currently working with other organizations on similar projects and hope to be able to develop engaging exhibits that utilize the Wedge s ability to interact with, as well as navigate around, three dimensional objects and spaces.