Page 151 - Intelligent Communication Systems

I 30 INTELLIGENT COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

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FIGURE I . I Virtual object handling system.

! 1.3 VIRTUAL OBJECT HANDLING

A schematic of a virtual object handling system is shown in Figure 11.1. In this
system a virtual space is created in front of the screen in which a virtual object is
displayed. A viewer in front of the screen can see the virtual object stereoscopi-
cally by wearing a pair of liquid crystal shutter glasses. Wearing a data glove he
or she can handle the object. The data glove with sensors detects the shape, motion,
and position of the hand. More specifically, it detects the 3D position of the hand.
When the position of the hand and that of the object overlap, the system assumes
that the hand is touching the object. The data glove enables the viewer to grasp
or move the object just as in reality, touching and handling it directly with hand
movements.

11.4 EXAMPLES OF VIRTUAL REALITY

The technology of VR creates a virtual space that inhabitants can enter and walk
through and where they can touch objects just as in the real world. Many applica-
tions have already been developed. However, only some of them are discussed
here: a walk-through system, a mountain bike system, a molecule visualization
system, a modeling system, and a system for driving a streetcar.
In the walk-through system developed by North Carolina University, a viewer
can enter a building, walk through it, go to a door and open it, and then go into
the next room. In the mountain bike system, a viewer can ride a bike along the