The Immersive Wide-Area-Walking Center

A look at the technology used at Stanford University and UC Santa Barbara for conducting the research behind Infinite Reality, a pioneering book written by Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson, published by Harper-Collins.

What does the WorldViz fully immersive Virtual Reality solution used by the Infinite Reality authors do?

The WorldViz immersive Wide-Area-Walking Center allows users, such as those involved in the book Infinite Reality, to literally walk through virtual environments in full scale and experience a stunning sense of immersion.  A stereoscopic head-mounted display (HMD) provides the high-fidelity 3D visuals, and an automatic motion tracking system synchronizes movement in the real world with movement in the virtual world, creating a Holodeck illusion. You can even naturally interact with virtual objects using a data glove, Nintendo Wii or Microsoft Kinect.

For more information about the Virtual Reality research being conducted at Stanford University and the University of California Santa Barbara, please vist the following pages:

• Stanford University Virtual Reality Research Overview
• University of California Santa Barbara Virtual Reality Research Overview
  
  
• WorldViz Press Release
• Infinite Reality website

Advantages of the WorldViz VR System
	Fully immerses users in an interactive simulated environment, creating an extremely realistic experience
	Gives users the ability to explore naturally and roam around freely
	The system conveys a real sense of size and shape of objects
	Allows for physical locomotion cues to aid spatial awareness
Other Applications of the WorldViz Immersive Wide-Area-Walking Center The WorldViz system can also be used for a number of industry applications including:
	Architectural walk-throughs
	Industrial training
	Industrial prototyping
	Military training
	Medical training
	Disaster prevention training
Key Example Components of the Immersive Wide-Area-Walking Solution Note: Below component selection is an example only and does not imply that WorldViz prefers certain 3rd party hardware vendors over others. WorldViz technology is compatible with all common VR hardware products.
3D SOFTWARE PLATFORM Vizard 3D toolkit Enterprise Edition. Everything you need to build and render interactive 3D content. Directly connects to VR hardware. For more information please visit the Vizard 3D toolkit Page.
REAL-TIME MOTION TRACKING PPT H8 high-speed motion tracking system. Covers unlimited areas with high precision and accuracy. Extremely robust hybrid optical-inertial 6DOF solution. For more information visit the PPT Motion Tracking product page.
3D VISUAL DISPLAY NVIS nVisor MX90 stereoscopic head-mounted display. Bright and crisp stereoscopic display. New ergonomic headset for superior balance and comfort.
RENDERING CPU Dell server CPU with nVidia Quadro/GeForce graphics. WorldViz custom configured workstation. Optimal Graphics, RAM and CPU combo for demanding real-time apps.
MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT Choose our Gold support contract and minimize lost time by having experienced WorldViz support engineers help you solve your problem during extended business hours.
INSTALLATION AND TRAINING Onsite setup-service by WorldViz expert engineers. Jumpstart your team by hiring us for initial training.
* The above components are an example only and do not imply that WorldViz prefers certain 3rd party hardware vendors over others. WorldViz technology is compatible with all common VR hardware products.