A number of educational institutions have begun to include virtual reality (VR) equipment among the tools used to educate students. The Compiègne University of Technology (UTC) in France has perhaps gone a bit further with the installation of a VR Cave.
Created by European VR solutions company Antycip Simulation, CAVE or the Cave Automated Virtual Environment has been installed as part of the UTC Heudiasyc laboratory’s Translife research programme.
The Heudiasyc laboratory has a stated mission to conduct research in areas of digital sciences and information. The system is intended to allow the Heudiasyc VR team to explore methods of haptic feedback in VR environments, including those based on the Enaction theory.
The four-sided VR simulator environment is an immersive system designed for research on virtual environments. It can be used in closed configuration in a ‘U’ shape, or a more open ‘L’ shape. The developers of the system at Antycip Simulation enabled the right side of the CAVE to open at a 90-degree angle, with the projection able to adjust automatically to the new position.
“We are now working with the L-shaped configuration to carry out tests on technical gesture training in a virtual factory environment,” said Indira Thouvenin, HDR (accreditation to supervise research) professor at Compiègne University of Technology (UTC). “We are planning to use the U-shaped capability in the near future as an augmented reality driving simulator with the new SyRI (Interactive Robotic Systems) research team from the laboratory.”
For the installation at UTC, four Cristie Mirage 3-Chip DLP 3D projectors were used, which offer a WUXGA resolution of 1920 x 1200 at 120Hz which can display 3D images on the walls and floor surfaces.
“We worked very closely with the team at Heudiasyc laboratory to deliver a modular, immersive system which can meet all their requirements in research and engineering,” said Johan Besnainou, director of France and Spain at Antycip Simulation. “This CAVE makes it possible to extend the reach of the laboratory in its work, thanks to a fully immersive environment.”
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via Mint VR