Large Displays, Labs, and Papers
Corporate Research Labs
Universities
Virtual Environments Group @ University of Wisconsin - Madison
Hardware:
CAVE C6
Software:
Paraview
Virtual Reality Applications Center @ Iowa State University
Hardware:
Think Super-YURT! http://www.vrac.iastate.edu/facilities/c6/
Papers:
Software:
University of Illinois at Chicago
Hardware:
Research publications:
Advanced Research Computing @ Virginia Tech
Hardware: SunCAVE, VROOM, WAVE
SunCAVE is a 360 degree VR Space made of 70 screens. Uses 70+ GPUs for visualization as well as machine learning and data analysis
VROOM is a tiled display environment of 32 55-in displays
WAVE displays 35 3D TVs in a cylindrical shape
GVIL- Graphics Visualization Informatics Lab
Hardware: Chimera
Research publications:
University of Minnesota
4-Wall Cave Display
3D Haptic display
Multi surface, Multi Touch Environment
Powered by Minnesota Supercomputing Institute
University of Missouri
Virtual Reality – Augmented Rehabilitation Laboratory
produces evidence for using VR-based occupational therapy interventions to improve the well-being of people receiving rehabilitation services
Hardware
psychophysiological equipment (one example: EMOTIV EEG headset)
Software
CAD
Revit
Unity3D, Unreal
Data Visualization and Extreme Reality Lab @ University of North Texas
Research projects:
Mobile Augmented Reality Applications (MARA)
Data Science and Data Visualization
Active Shooter Response and Training
Multi‐User Virtual Reality (MUVR)
Augmented Reality with Hololens: Building Evacuation
Human Centric Cyber Situation Awareness and Data Visualization
Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR): Creating and Integrating Data Science Corps to Improve the Quality of Life in Urban Areas
Hardware:
Microsoft Hololens
Software:
Research publications:
https://dvxr.unt.edu/research
SUNY Stony Brook
Hardware:
Reality Deck
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
CITL Virtual Reality Lab
16’x16’ wireless vr experience powered by htc vive pro
Focus on studying learning experiences as users explore education VR content
Glenn Research Center
Astronaut simulation/visualization: “use actual footage and data from space to create high-quality VR and AR visualizations which astronauts are able to use to help ensure more accuracy with their training.”
Magic Leap
zSpace
DREAMHOC HD3.2
Looking Glass
GRUVE Lab
Leap Motion
HoloLens
Science Visualization Lab of the University of Applied Arts Vienna
Visualize scientific phenomena that cannot be seen with naked eye
UCSD
Hardware:
NYU
Hardware:
Future Reality Lab @ NYU
Multi-participant “metaroom” Web VR environments
Unity/Unreal or Web VR
Computer Graphics
AR/VR Development
Unity/Unreal or Web VR
Interface Design
3D Scanning and Modeling
Spatial Audio
Networking
Publications:
Technical University of Ostrava
teaching anatomy in 3D and demonstrating product manufacturing processes such as virtual car showroom, pollution and fire propagation simulation, surgical operations, crash test,etc
3D projection with native 4K resolution
Professional laser 4K BARCO projector
Projection wall of 4 m x 2.5
Rear projection allows movement of persons near the projection
3D active stereo
Individual or collaborative VR environment for up to 4 persons
Publications: https://www.it4i.cz/en/research/top-publications
Augmented Environments Lab: AR/MR Research at Georgia Tech
About: Focus on the intersection of technology, design, interactivity, and media with respect to augmenting user senses with computer generated material. Most of their work focuses in AR as well as MR with a focus in human-centered computing methodologies
Hardware: ARToolKit Plus for Symbian OS 9.1
Software: Argon (“world’s first standards=based Augmented Reality (AR web browser”)
Publications: “Cultural expression in augmented and mixed reality” 2014, "Media Studies, Mobile Augmented Reality, and Interaction Design." 2013, more dates back all the way to 2000
Suny Stony Brook
Techniques enabling natural exploration and supporting visual analysis of big data
Hardware:
Reality deck:
CGA reality deck
Aggregate resolution and immersion
The Reality Deck - Immersive Gigapixel Display
Center for Advanced Energy Studies Applied Visualization Lab (CAES):
Portfolio includes scientific visualization, digital twins, graph visualization, simulation and modeling
Software: Unreal Engine, Meshlab, ArcGis
Hardware: IQ station (inexpensive interactive immersive surface), HTC Vive Pro, Microsoft Hololens 2
Bowie State Univesity:
Hardware: HTC Vive
Software: Unity
Publications: COVID-19 Virtual Reality Instructional (VRI) Training for Improving Quality of Care and Patient Safety
VAPOC: Visualization, Analysis and Prediction of COVID-19
Megacity: A Collaborative Virtual Reality Environment for Emergency Response, Training, and Decision Making
Active Shooter Response and Training for BSU Campus in a Collaborative Virtual Reality Environment (CVE)
UW Reality Lab
About:
Hardware: The Valve Index and the Magic Leap One
Software: ARCore, Unity
Research publications: HumanNeRF, ClearBuds: Wireless Binaural Earbuds for Learning-based Speech Enhancement
Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL)
Looking at the psychological processes that are engaged in VR and AR environments
They seek to “better understand the psychological and behavioral effects of Virtual Reality (VR) and, more recently, Augmented Reality (AR)”
“Currently we have at least one of each of the major VR headsets. We are company agnostic and use whatever is best for any given study.” Not really giving us much…
Publication examples:
Sexual Harassment Bystander Training Effectiveness: Experimentally Comparing 2D Video to Virtual Reality Practice
Forensic Architecture
Organization: Forensic Architecture
Overview: FA works on visualzing data using different techiques in order to tell stories of oppression, harm, and injustice. One of their visualization tools has been VR for some project of theirs.
Hardware: VR headset
Software:
Publications: The Beating of Faisal Al Natsheh
Deakin University VR Lab
Hardware:
reconfigurable CAVE wall
Ambisonic, 3D sound system
Software:
Medical simulation and training software
Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES)
Hardware: CAVE, Virtuix Omni TreadMill, HTC VIVE Pro, Magic Leap, Microsoft Hololens 2, Meta 2 Headset, Lidar Faro Scanner
Software: Unity, Paraview, Unreal Engine, VTK, Blendr, ArcGIS, Three.js, A-Frame
Earth and Planetary Sciences: Visualization Research and Teaching Lab @ Harvard
IV (Interactive Visualization) Lab, University of Michigan
4-wall CAVE VR display, Multi-Surface, Mutli-Touch Virtual Reality Environment, 3D Haptic Display
Mixed Reality Lab - Oklahoma State University
Hardware: Oculus Rift CV 1, HTV Vice and Gear VR mobile head mounted display systems, Microsoft HoloLens, Vuzix STAR XLD and Epson Moverio BT200 augmented reality display system, Perception neuron motion capture system
Hardware:
VizWall features:
24 high-definition 32" monitors.
115 million pixels versus 2 million on a 1080P TV
Virtual reality and immersive vidualization @RWTH Aachen University
Some email insights re large immersive displays from Bill Sheman and Simon Su
Bill: It's a fair question! I would say that Kenny's lab is probably the
first that comes to mind when thinking of successful large-facility
VR proving it's utility. Another national lab that has done was is
INL. (INL has a paper in our workshop -- we also invited Kenny's
group, but we didn't get a submission from them -- but Kenny has a
good contribution as a chapter in "VR Developer Gems" that conveys
the good work they're doing.
I think UC Davis has a good, and long, history of providing demonstrated
utility for immersive visualization. Also, there are at least some
anecdotes of success from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette.
And so as not imply our own accomplishments (Simon an me), I'd been
impressed with NIST's contributions from before I joined. Oh, and
I think the Disney DISH system demonstrated it's worth at Imagineering,
though I haven't spoken with Mark Mine in a while, so I'm not sure
how they are doing these days.
That said, that is a short list, and I suppose I could find more, but
it's certainly not pervasive. I do know from chatting with people
who sell CAVE-style systems that there are still customers out there
who are finding value -- some because of the cost savings available
by pre-visualizing products, or in some cases the factory floor that
will make the products. But, I've changed jobs once or twice because
someone's decided they don't want to fund a CAVE anymore.
AND
Simon: Let me add to Bill's email.....
Defining Immersive visualization as a display system with stereoscopic display and the user's view tracked using 6DOF tracking system.
At the DoD (at least at Army Research Lab), there are a number of immersive visualization (as defined above) setups. One of them is a multiple 10ftx10ft screens layout in a circle covering about 200 degrees of a circle of 10ft diameter, but no floor, that is being used for human factor research. Another is a 3 sided cave (front, left, right), no floor display but the floor is an omni directional treadmill that is being used for Soldier related research. The chair of https://2023.hci.international/vamr, Jessie Chen is a senior research scientist at ARL and she would know all of the research that is going on at Army Research Lab and Soldier Center. At Soldier Center (https://teamorlando.org/sttc/), for immersive display, they are largely a HMD type shop with no CAVE type display systems. All the research going on at the two places are feeding into the IVAS program (https://www.peosoldier.army.mil/Program-Offices/Project-Manager-Integrated-Visual-Augmentation-System/).
Alan Liu's (https://www.simcen.org/wave.html) is also pretty unique. He has 24 passive stereo screens using a mix of virtual and physical prop for users to experience realistic scenario. But the users' view are not tracked. Alan is also part of the DoD. His WAVE system is a front line medical training system.
TACC has no large scale stereo system with user's view tracked visualization system at the visualization lab on campus. The new visualization lab at the data center may have smaller stereo display systems with tracked view. I am not a 100% sure since it has been a while since I visited them. TACC is more a scalable visualization shop supporting high resolution visualization from data generated by the HPC.
I think CAVE2 at EVL at UIC is pretty good. They are active stereo and user's view is tracked. And Jason Leigh's vis lab at U of Hawaii's cyber-canoe, Jason's next generation of the CAVE2, is also pretty good (https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2014/08/18/cyber-canoe-to-explore-worlds-of-data-in-3-d/).
Large Display Rooms (like Brown's YURT)
CAVE2
Starcave
It implements a pentagon-shaped floor layout, with each of its five wall segments divided into three articulated display surfaces for a total of fifteen wall projection surfaces, in addition to the floor surface.
Reality Deck
416 27-inch Samsung screens, each with 4 million pixels
C6
Inside the C6 is a room that is 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet in which all four walls, the floor and the ceiling, are projection screens
Tech Cube
Virginia Techs CUBE is a square room similar to the C6 where both floor and roof are VR projection screens.
Papers
Large Displays
A list of publications related to the development and applications of the original CAVE