Low-Cost, Portable, Multi-Wall Virtual Reality

Virtual reality systems make compelling outreach displays, but some such systems, like the CAVE, have design features that make their use for that purpose inconvenient. In the case of the CAVE, the equipment is difficult to disassemble, transport, and reassemble, and typically CAVEs can only be afforded by large-budget research facilities. We implemented a system like the CAVE that costs less than $30,000, weighs about 500 pounds, and fits into a fifteen-passenger van. A team of six people have unpacked, assembled, and calibrated the system in less than two hours. This cost reduction versus similar virtual-reality systems stems from the unique approach we took to stereoscopic projection. We used an assembly of optical chopper wheels and commodity LCD projectors to create true active stereo at less than a fifth of the cost of comparable active-stereo technologies. The screen and frame design also optimized portability; the frame assembles in minutes with only two fasteners, and both it and the screen pack into small bundles for easy and secure shipment

Challenges and Strategies for Educational Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) is a rich visualization and analytic platform that furthers the library’s mission of providing access to all forms of information and supporting pedagogy and scholarship across disciplines. Academic libraries are increasingly adopting VR technology for a variety of research and teaching purposes, which include providing enhanced access to digital collections, offering new research tools, and constructing new immersive learning environments for students. This trend suggests that positive technological innovation is flourishing in libraries, but there remains a lack of clear guidance in the library community on how to introduce these technologies in effective ways and make them sustainable within different types of institutions. In June 2018, the University of Oklahoma hosted the second of three forums on the use of 3D and VR for visualization and analysis in academic libraries, as part of the project Developing Library Strategy for 3D and Virtual Reality Collection Development and Reuse(LIB3DVR), funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. This qualitative study invited experts from a range of disciplines and sectors to identify common challenges in the visualization and analysis of 3D data, and the management of VR programs, for the purpose of developing a national library strategy

Virtual Cultural Heritage: Virtual Reality Navigation of Cultural Heritage Environments

With the plethora of digital devices that can provide information about almost anything anywhere the Virtual Cultural Heritage project implements a prototype for the integration of personal computers and o the shelf new media accessories functioning in concert in order to deliver cultural heritage information. The virtual experience is navigated through the use of Microsoft Kinect motion control technology, integrating both gesture recognition and full body control, giving an element of realism and control previously not available in VR simulations. The interactive VR environment explores the possibilities of Le Musee Imaginaire, or the Museum Without Walls. The short-term goal is to draw upon scholarly research in areas of history and archaeological interpretation in order to distribute that knowledge to a general public in a non-traditional, engaging and entertaining manner. The long-range goal is to develop collaborative interdisciplinary projects that explore developing technologies and their new media applications in matters of cultural heritage, education and tourism.M.S., Digital Media -- Drexel University, 201