Potential opportunity in VR domain for Ada

Potential opportunity in VR domain for Ada

[David Weller]

Well, here's a post I nabbed off of sci.virtual-worlds.  It's long
and fairly boring, but for those of you looking for new avenues for
Ada, this one is an pleasant opportunity (I know I have fun working
in this domain! :-)

Of course, I'm sure _somebody_ will rant about no mention of Ada in
here, but I don't really care.  If we don't sow, we'll never reap.


Subject: ANNOUNCE: National Academy of Science Press Release on VR
Date: 26 Sep 1994 17:39:41 GMT
Organization: Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey

SUBSTANTIAL TECHNOLOGY GAP EXISTS BETWEEN WHAT IS
VIRTUAL, WHAT IS REALITY (Sept. 20, 1994)

NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Office of News and Public Information
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20418
(202) 334-2138

Date: Sept. 20, 1994
Contacts: Cheryl Greenhouse, Media Relations Associate, Richard Julian, 
Media Relations Assistant
Telephone: ( 202) 334-2138
Email: news@nas.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUBSTANTIAL TECHNOLOGY GAP EXISTS BETWEEN WHAT IS
VIRTUAL, WHAT IS REALITY

  WASHINGTON -- 
Despite the enthusiasm surrounding virtual reality (VR) --
three-dimensional computer-generated worlds with which people can
interact -- a substantial gap exists between the technology available
today and the technology needed to bring virtual environments closer
to reality, concludes a National Research Council committee in a new
report.* If the federal government vigorously pursues a broad-based
program of research on virtual environments, telerobotics, and
augmented reality, it could lead to many cost-effective applications
that will go well beyond those now available in the entertainment
industry.  The committee concluded that the potential for practical
uses of virtual reality is evident across a variety of fields, with
four areas showing the most promise: training, hazardous operations,
medicine and health care, and design, manufacturing, and
marketing. Using virtual environment and telerobotics, one can or will
be able to explore the ocean floor and outer space, try out products
not yet manufactured, dig up a 10-ton container of hazardous waste, or
take a canoe trip through the human circulatory system.

   The extent to which current virtual-environment technology is
actually being used in these fields is varied and limited, although
significant research and development is taking place. "It is not yet
clear how to choose the tasks that will eventually prove most
appropriate for the application of [VR] technology," the committee
explained.

   Furthermore, much research is needed to understand how people will
interact wit VR systems, how the systems will affect a person's work
performance, and what kinds of problems could arise from extensive use
of VR systems.

   "With the limited technology that is currently available, there is
a trade-off between realistic images and real-time interactivity,"
said committee chair Nathaniel I. Durlach, senior scientist in the
department of electrical engineering and computer science at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "In entertainment, which is
serving as a massive informal test of VR and a major economic driving
force, real-time interactivity is often emphasized at the expense of
image quality."

   In general, it should not be assumed that virtual worlds always
need to be realistic in order to be useful, the committee
said. Realism constitutes a useful goal for stimulating the
development of technology and is essential for some
applications. However, there are many applications, for example in the
area of training, where enhancement of special features may be more
important than realism.

ADVANCING THE TECHNOLOGY

   Improving VR technology will require changes in the computer
hardware and software that generate virtual environments, the
equipment a person wears to experience and interact with a virtual
environment, and the telerobotics that extend a person's ability to
sense and work in remote and hazardous environments.

   For software, the committee recommended that the federal government
undertake a major unified research program. In addition to the
development of a suitable operating system, the program should focus
on how people interact with and navigate through virtual worlds and on
models that define the form, appearance, and behavior of objects in
these worlds. Real challenges exist in creating software that will
provide images for all the human senses, the committee stressed.

   Computer hardware probably will be developed through commercial
market forces, if current trends continue, the committee
concluded. However, "should serious lags in development occur, the
government might then consider strategies for leveraging private
sector development efforts," the committee said.

   The equipment that a person must wear, such as the head gear,
gloves, and other devices used to receive information from a virtual
world and to take action in that world also are in need of
improvement. One concern is the discomfort and poor image quality of
currently available head gear. The committee found that people using
head gear often suffer from chronic fatigue, lack of initiative,
drowsiness, and irritability or nausea when interacting with a virtual
environment for long periods of time.

   Although these symptoms are generally known to be associated with motion
   sickness, it is not yet possible to predict which of the various
symptoms are likely to appear when an individual uses a VR
system. Furthermore, it is not known how the magnitude of each of
these symptoms depends on the characteristics of the systems
themselves or on the characteristics of the individual using the
system. "If the comfort of VR systems cannot be radically improved,
the practical usage of these systems will be limited to emergency
situations or to very short time periods," the committee said. Also of
concern is the need for substantial improvement in the devices that
provide the user with the ability to feel and manipulate objects in
the environment.

   "Work in these areas is not only essential to the realization of
practical applications, but it should also advance our basic
understanding of the human organism," the committee said.

   In telerobotics, reductions in time delays between the human
operator and the telerobot are needed, as are hardware
improvements. In addition, problems involved in using microtelerobots
for applications such as microsurgery need to be addressed.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

   Communication networks have the potential to transform virtual
environments into shared worlds in which individuals, objects, and
processes at different locations can interact. In the future, such
networks will allow use of virtual environments for such purposes as
virtual classrooms, group entertainment, and communication among
robots in different locations.

   Although the technology is becoming capable of supporting the
development of virtual environments connected through networks, it
currently cannot support applications -- to multiple users in real
time -- in which sights, sounds, and touch are provided as they would
be in real environments, the committee said. Other problems that need
to be resolved are network slowdowns caused by the multiple layers of
operating system software and the high cost of purchasing time of
high-speed, wide-area networks.

   The committee proposed "that the federal government provide funding
for a program (to be conducted by industry and academia in
collaboration) aimed a developing network standards that support the
requirements for implementing distributed virtual environments on a
large scale. Furthermore, we propose funding of an open virtual
environment network that can be used by researchers, at reasonable
cost, to experiment with various virtual environment network software
developments and applications."

FUTURE POLICY DIRECTIONS

   "Because the field is in its very early stages, the federal
government has a rare and important opportunity to foster careful
planning for its research and development," the committee said. Among
the committee's suggestions:

   A comprehensive national information system could be developed to provide
   coverage of research activities and results on virtual environments in a
   user-friendly way for a wide variety of users. 

   A small number of national research and development teams could be
   established, each focusing on a specific application. The teams could
   be made up of members from government, industry, and academia, and 
   funding could be provided jointly by both the federal government and
   the private sector.

   Federal agencies and offices could consider experimenting with VR
   technology in their own workplaces. 

   The federal government could also explore the opportunities for early
   development of standards to promote compatibility of hardware, software,
   and networking technology.

   The committee's work was funded by a consortium of federal agencies
including the Advanced Research Projects Agency, Air Force Office of
Scientific Research, Human Research and Engineering Directorate of the
Army Research Laboratory, Crew Systems Directorate and the Human
Resources Directorate of the Armstrong Laboratory, Army Natick RD&E
Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National
Science Foundation, National Security Agency, and Sandia National
Laboratory.

   The National Research Council is the principal operating agency of
the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of
Engineering. It is a private, non-profit institution that provides
science and technology advice under a congressional charter. A
committee roster is overleaf.

* Pre-publication copies of the report, Virtual Reality: Scientific and
Technological Challenges, are available from the National Academy
Press at the mailing address in the letterhead; tel. (202) 334-3313 or
1-800-624-6242. The cost of the report is $65.00 (prepaid) plus
shipping charges of $4.00 for the first copy and $.50 for each
additional copy.

Reporters may obtain copies from the Office of News and Public
Information at th letterhead address (contacts listed above).


[Internet availability: This news release is available on the
WorldWide Web at http://www.nas.edu; via Gopher at gopher.nas.edu; and
via FTP at ftp.nas.edu/pub/]


NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
and Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications
Board on Computer Science and Technology

Committee on Virtual Reality Research and Development


Nathaniel Durlach (chair)
Senior Scientist
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge

Steve Bryson
Consultant
NASA-Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, Calif.

Norman Hackerman (1)
Chair, Scientific Advisory Board
Robert A. Welch Foundation
Houston

John M. Hollerbach
Professor of Computer Science
University of Utah
Salt Lake City

James R. Lackner
Riklis Professor of Physiology and 
Director, Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory
Brandeis University
Waltham, Mass. 

J. Michael Moshell
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Institute for Simulation and Training
University of Central Florida
Orlando

Randy Pausch
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Department of Computer Science
University of Virginia 
Charlottesville

Richard W. Pew
Psychologist
Cognitive Sciences and Systems Department
Bolt, Beranek, and Newman Laboratories Inc.
Cambridge, Mass. 

Warren Robinett
President and Founder
Virtual Reality Games Inc. 
Chapel Hill, N.C. 

Joseph Rosen
Associate Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Lebanon, N.H. 

Mandayam A. Srinivasan
Principal Research Scientist
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge 

James J. Thomas
Technology Manager
Applied Physics Center
Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory
Richland, Wash. 

Andries Van Dam
L. Herbert Ballou University Professor and 
Professor of Computer Science
Computer Science Department
Brown University 
Providence, R.I. 

Elizabeth Wenzel
Director, Spatial Auditory Displays Laboratory
Aerospace Human Factors Research Division
NASA-Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, Calif.

Andrew Witkin
Professor of Computer Science
School of Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh

Eugene Wong (2)
Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Development
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Hong Kong

Michael Zyda
Professor
Department of Computer Science
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, Calif.

RESEARCH COUNCIL STAFF

Anne Mavor
Study Director

___________________________________
(1) Member, National Academy of Sciences
(2) Member, National Academy of Engineering


-- 
Proud (and vocal) member of Team Ada! (and Team OS/2)        ||This is not your
   	      Ada -- Very Cool.  Doesn't Suck.               ||  father's Ada 
For all sorts of interesting Ada tidbits, run the command:   ||________________
"finger dweller@starbase.neosoft.com | more" (or e-mail with "finger" as subj.)
   ObNitPick: Spelling Ada as ADA is like spelling C++ as CPLUSPLUS. :-)