The Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC) is a research center within the Engineering Teaching and Research Complex (ETRC) at

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

(ISU) and is involved in advanced research of

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), educ ...

(VR),

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. AR can be de ...

(AR),

human computer interaction Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, an ...

(HCI), visualization, and is home to the world's highest resolution immersive virtual reality facility, known as th
C6

Origins of VRAC

VRAC began in 1990 as the Iowa Center for Emerging Manufacturing Technology (ICEMT) under the directorship of Dr. James Bernard, a faculty member in the Mechanical Engineering department. ICEMT was established within the Institute for Physical Research and Technology, a network of research and technology-transfer centers and industrial-outreach programs at Iowa State University. In 1992 ICEMT received its first VR-focused grant, a three-year project from the Office of Naval Research, focused on virtual reality applications for manufacturing. In 1994 ICEMT began virtual prototyping research for

John Deere Deere & Company, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, transmissions, gearboxes) used in heavy equipment, ...

, which remains VRAC's longest continuous industrial relationship. ICEMT constructed its first VR facility, a 12'x12'

CAVE A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

-like structure named the C2, in 1996 under the supervision of Dr.

Carolina Cruz-Neira Carolina Cruz-Neira is a Spanish-Venezuelan-American computer engineer, researcher, designer, educator, and a pioneer of virtual reality (VR). She is known for inventing the cave automatic virtual environment (CAVE). She previously worked at Iowa ...

, inventor of the CAVE and the ICEMT Associate Director. Starting in November 1999 ICEMT changed its name to the Virtual Reality Applications Center, moved into the newly constructed Engineering Teaching and Research Complex (ETRC) and started construction on a new VR facility known as the C6. In June 2000 the C6 officially opened as the world's first fully immersive 6-sided virtual reality facility with all wireless tracking, navigation, and control systems, and the first such system located in the United States. In 2003 VRAC expanded its mission by creating an interdepartmental graduate program known as Human Computer Interaction (HCI). In 2004 Dr. James Oliver, a faculty member in Mechanical Engineering, began his tenure as the VRAC Director. A technology refresh of the C6 in 2006 put the facility on the map as the highest resolution immersive environment of its kind with over 100 million pixels.

History of 6-sided visualization facilities

:September, 1998"Sensory Design"
by Joy Monice Malnar and Frank Vodvarka ::COSMOS at Gifu Prefectural Science & Technology Promotion Center, in "Techno-Plaza" of VR Techno in Kakamigahara City, Gifu prefecture, Japan (north of Nagoya).
"photos of COSMOS"
:October 23, 1998

at Center for Parallel Computers (PDC) at the

Royal Institute of Technology The KTH Royal Institute of Technology ( sv, Kungliga Tekniska högskolan, lit=Royal Institute of Technology), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technolo ...

(KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden. :August, 1999
"Six sided

" at VR-Center Nord at

Aalborg University Aalborg University (AAU) is a Danish public university with campuses in Aalborg, Esbjerg, and Copenhagen founded in 1974. The university awards bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and PhD degrees in a wide variety of subjects within humanities ...

in Aalborg, Denmark. :June 19, 2000
C6
at the Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC) at

in Ames, IA, USA. :November 2001 ::Adaptive Laboratory for Immersive Cognitive Experiments (ALICE) at the

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

Beckman Institute.

References

{{Reflist

External links

*http://www.vrac.iastate.edu *http://hci.iastate.edu Iowa State University 1990 establishments in Iowa Technology Student Association Virtual reality organizations