PHANTOM 3.0 by Sensable Technologies
Our Phantom haptic simulation devices allow the haptic rendering of virtual scenes, i.e. you can touch and feel objects that are not really there. This allows for an unprecedented feeling of immersion in a virtual reality environment and allows the study of visuo-haptic coordination, adaptation, and learning in psychophysical experiments. Our instrument allows us to produce artificial environments with subtle or gross discordances between visual and haptic information which are not attainable in the real world.

Description
The haptic setup consists of two PHANToM 3.0 force feedback devices by SensAble Technologies, Inc. Each device is mounted on a specially made epoxy block. We aligned the two devices with high precision and reduced the mismatch between them below 1mm across the central area of our workspace. The haptic simulation is done on a SGI Onyx 2 workstation and runs at a rate of 1 kHz. A graphical user interface allows for quick and easy generation of visuo-haptic scences and design of experiments. The two PHANToM force feedback devices are used in one workspace in order to perform easy one-hand precision grips or two handed pointing tasks. The GUI allows all object properties to be changed on the fly.

Phantom Tutorial and Documentation (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Hi-Ball Precision Tracker by 3rdTech
The development of the 6 degrees of freedom Hi Ball tracking system allows subjects to walk in a virtual environment with relative ease. The HiBall tracker is a recent development based on the Wide-Area Tracking research project of the Department of Computer Science of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Description
HiBall is an analog/optical tracking system that can track the linear and angular motion of a receiver at sub-millimeter spatial and near-millisecond temporal resolution over a large field, making it ideal for measuring movements of VR HMDs. No other device can provide comparable speed and accuracy over a wide area. The system triangulates position using multiple analog sensor/lens pairs to image a number of IREDs on the ceiling. The device can :

• Provide 2 rooms with 622 sq.ft. and 240 sq.ft of tracking space
• Maintain extraordinary precision throughout the tracking space
• Deliver precision unaffected by metal, magnetic fields, noise
• Built in redundancy overcomes most line-of-sight obstructions
• Provide very high update rate and low latency - solid tracking even at high-speed motion

Fastrack by Polhemus
The Fastrack is a 6 degrees of freedom magnetic tracking device. The device runs at 120hz with 4ms latency. The primary limitations of this system are its range of 30 inches (without a significant loss in accuracy and its susceptibility to electromagnetic interference.)

V8 Helmet by Virtual Research
The V8 Helmet is a stereo display used to visualize our virtual environments. It contains an ASL 501 eye tracker and can be used with the limbus tracker at the same time. Head position is monitored by either the HiBall or Fastrack devices.

Description
Each of the V8's 1.3 inch LCDs runs at true VGA (640x480) resolution with 921,600 color elements. The active matrix displays, which are driven by an external control box, refresh at a rate of 60hz. Field of view is 60 degrees diagonal. The helmet allows for adjustment of interpupilary distance. Sound is provided by a pair of Sennheiser headphones. Each V8 weighs approximately 1kg.

Onyx 2 Visualization System by SGI
The Onyx 2 is now the primary system used for running experiments. It is equipped with 4 MIPS R10000 processors running at 300MHz. Graphics are rendered by an Infinite Reality 2 graphics engine. Video for the HMD is output at 60Hz.

Linux Box
Equipped with modern graphics, the Linux system is used to generate and run several experiments in the lab.

Other Computers
The Virtual Reality Lab has an array of computing equipment used for data analysis.

Motion Platform by McFadden Systems
The motion platform is a hydraulic system capable of 6 degrees of freedom. The platform is controlled by a dedicated PC running software from the manufacturer.

Driving Console by Simulator Systems Int., Inc.
The driving console contains the accelerator, brake and steering inputs from the driving simulator. Inputs are converted from analog to digital in an a2d converter before being processed. The console is equipped with subwoofer-like tactile sensation devices to produce vibrations in the driver's seat.

Hi-8 VCR by Sony
Hi-8 VCRs have been the workhorses for video recording in the lab.

Mini-DV VCR by JVC
The addition of a DV VCR has brought the lab up to a new level of high-resolution digital video recording. The new format offers the digital benefits of lossless dubbing along with an IEEE 1394 Firewire port. Firewire allows easy video transfers to our PCs and G3/G4 systems for simple editing and distribution.