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19-20 July 1995
Royal Society Meeting
6 Carlton House Terrace
London SW1, UK
The visual side of VR is what has caught the public attention to date. However, of equal if not greater importance are:
Response time is more important than graphics or sound.
Further sensory parameters are touch, smell and taste. Touch has to provide texture and force-feedback. Smell and taste may be easy to generate but are more difficult to remove.
Virtual Environment Knee Arthroscopy System (VE-KATS)
Dr Avis (University of Hull, UK) described how virtual environments were used to extend
existing training systems for Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) and allow trainee orthopedic surgeons
to acquire and practice the skills required. In this way, core skills of surgeons can be developed
and certified away from the surgical environment.
Tele-endoscopy: the Application of Telecommunications to Medical Endoscopy
Dr Bell (Ipswich District Hospital, UK) and Mr Heatley (BT, UK) described how high quality medical images could now be conveyed to remote sites via public ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network). This allows collaborative diagnosis, or diagnosis by remote specialists and experts. Telemedicine has been in use for some years but most has been point to point broadband links for high resolution images such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans. This project has demonstrated that narrow band, low cost networks can be utilized without loss of
the required picture quality for effective diagnosis and interaction.
The Virtual Reality of Artificial Heart Valve Design
Dr Trowbridge (University of Sheffield, UK) described how simulations had been performed to
compare the behaviours of mechanical and tissue heart valves using models in virtual environments.
Support for Perception and Action in Virtual Environments
Dr Rushton (University of Edinburgh, UK) outlined the contribution of perception research to the
study of heading direction in natural and virtual environments.
Communicating Emotions using Virtual Reality
Claire Wood and Ian Gwalter (ActingUp, UK) described Project Discover which brought together a
group of people of different abilities and to reduce feelings of isolation. The reasons for
using VR are that it not only provides an accessible environment for the physically as well
as the sensorally impaired, but it is also a medium for creating a narrative and for role play
scenarios which are appropriate for the portrayal of individual and group experiences.
Human Interaction in Augmented Reality
Dr Cavazza (Thomson CSF, France) summarised two experiments for exploring human factors in
virtual environments.The first, in telerobotics, used a head mounted display to control the
movements of a remote video camera on a robot, enabling the user in the virtual world to see
the world of the robot. The second is a feasibility prototype for a virtual documentation system.
Speech is the most appropriate channel for exchanging complex information, since this leaves the
operator's hands free for tasks in the virtual space, eg surgery, engineering repair and maintenance
etc. For speech recognition to be usable and successful it has to have a very high success rate.
Human Time Adaptability in VR
Mr Guckenberger (ECC International Corp, USA) described how virtual time could be used to
enhance the effect of training procedures in virtual environments. Increasing the virtual
time to 1.5 times the normal time resulted in higher subsequent performances and effectiveness
of the trainees. However, this was felt to be the limit - benefits did not increase by
increasing the virtual time above 1.5 times normal time.
Virtual Worlds and the AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) Industries
Dr Jacobson (Worldesign Inc, USA) outlined how virtual worlds were assisting with design reviews, overcoming misunderstandings at an early stage, alteration of orders, and litigation. By the end of 1995, two significant developments were expected to have an impact on the design world. Firstly, high power PCs with graphics accelerator cards will make systems that were formerly considered high-end to be affordable by the typical design office (currently out of 200 architects, only 3 use a computer!). Secondly, new software in the CAD area will provide much better support for models in virtual environments at low cost. In addition, the World-Wide Web will be utilized (via tools such as VRML) to allow users to construct and share 3D objects and design with clients who can then place an order. By 1997, specification, ordering, and construction will be centred on the information space.
Virtual Reality Applications in Science and Engineering
Dr Sherman and Dr Craig (NCSA, USA) reported on an examination of how successful and
useful current VR applications are in the areas of virtual prototyping, astrophysics,
meteorology, medical visualization, and animation production. The applications used
the CAVE which was developed at the Electronic Visualization Laboratory at the
University of Illinois, Chicago Circle. This was found to be easier to use than
conventional head mounted systems because of the large space in which one walks and
the light displays (sunglasses). The conclusion was that VR was very useful,
particularly in virtual prototyping. The expense of building real physical
protoytpes to see how they performed and what modifications were needed - was avoided,
since all these tests could be performed in the virtual environment.
A Virtual Environment for portraying and interacting with the Space Environment of the Solar System
Dr Stytz (Air Force Institute of Technology, USA) described how virtual environments were used
to model the solar system using standard astronomical data and facilitate interaction and display
of planets.
Virtual Offices
Dr Robinson (University of Cambridge, UK) described how to augment the traditional desk and
office using digital technology. Video cameras are used to read documents on the user's desk
and provide assistance with their manipulation. Video projectors allow the system to project
electronic data onto the work surface and onto paper documents. This work is being extended to
do automatic translation, manipulate video clips, and provide collaborative work desks.
A Multi-perspective distributed Virtual Environment for Concurrent Engineering
Dr Fernando (University of Leeds, UK) described a distributed environment containing
product data in a standard format based on the ISO standard STEP. It supports a user
configurable virtual environment and has been designed to allow the integration of
different CAE applications.
Collaboration takes place over high speed networks and allows more complex objects to be developed more quickly by multi-disciplinary teams.
Televirtuality - a shift of Paradigm in Technology and Social Interaction
Dr Odegard (Telenor Research, Norway) reported on evaluation of the potential use of
Virtual Reality in applications areas such as teleconferencing, distance education,
and entertainment.
Teamwork in Virtual Environments
Dr Rogers (BT, UK) and Dr Benford (University of Nottingham, UK) outlined how the VIRTUOSI
project had utilized Virtual Reality to support groups and group working. Information is
contained in a virtual document store and can be accessed by group members. VIRTUOSI thus
utilized the concepts of interaction, visualization, and cooperation inherent in virtual
environments.
Virtual World Interface to the Superhighway
Mr Powers and Mr Sheat (BT, UK) described an easy-to-use interface to handle home access to
virtual worlds and the superhighway. This includes access to financial services, shopping etc.
The central thesis is that traditional GUI type interfaces are fine for text and pictures, but
not so good for multimedia elements. Representing these in the virtual world allows the user
to access them directly, not merely as icons but as real virtual world objects.
Rae Earnshaw
R.A.Earnshaw@bradford.ac.uk
