There are a number of ongoing research projects dealing with virtual reality and the use of immersive displays. We have augmented the device with a head mounted display. Various experiments in which visual and vestibular cues are played off against each other are conducted using this device. Volunteers are always welcome. Existing inexpensive HMD tracking technology does not permit accurate tracking of the head position over a large spatial range.
Various technologies are possible to allow a user a broader range of motion.
The Virtual Reality Bicycle shown here has been instrumented so that the computer can monitor where the bicycle is in space. Coupled with the head tracker, this provides a straightforward mechanism for long distance motion within a virtual environment. The VR bike has been extended to the VR Trike. This permits experiments to investigate active vs. passive vs. vestibular vs. visual inputs in virtual environments. The Lab has four different head mounted displays.