Archive notice: This article was originally published on May 4, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Modern visualization technologies were becoming increasingly important for understanding complex relationships, particularly in product development and architecture. Virtual-reality systems opened new possibilities in these areas.
They could provide important information during planning about shape, colour and later physical properties. Augmented-reality technologies could overlay virtual and physical objects in one image. These technologies could also support knowledge transfer through immersive product presentations, virtual trade-show appearances and educational applications.
Examples included visualizing complex relationships in a three-dimensional virtual world, such as human anatomy in biology, production processes in engineering or reaction processes in chemistry. Special VR input devices were used to interact with digital data models. Complex hand movements had to be captured in real time for intuitive interaction with virtual objects on a screen or projection surface. The input device therefore needed to be light, robust and easy to use. Dr Andreas Wierse, managing director of VISENSO GmbH, said: “Adapting existing systems from consumer goods and the games industry to the needs of modern engineering and education was the challenge of the VRiiD project. The application centre solved this task excellently in cooperation with HSG-IMIT.”
Microsensors able to detect movement in space were available at substantially lower cost than earlier macroscopic sensors. Their resolution and signal stability alone were insufficient for precise capture of hand movement, however. Sensor signals therefore had to be processed optimally and interpreted together with additional sensor information, with adaptive filters offering particular advantages. The newly developed VRiiD input device was based on microsensors increasingly used in the games industry.
The project’s main challenge was optimally evaluating user-generated sensor signals and producing a resulting realistic, near-real-time visualization. The system had to select a suitable combination of optical and inertial sensor information to analyse hand movements. Inertial sensors, such as accelerometers, had long been used in automotive applications including airbags. HSG-IMIT contributed expertise in sensor technology and adaptive signal processing.
VISENSO, a provider of interactive virtual reality and collaborative-work systems, evaluated the input unit and integrated the algorithms into higher-level VR systems. The partners said the new interaction options simplified VR use in engineering and educational content. Martin Trächtler, product group manager for inertial sensors and systems at HSG-IMIT, said: “Cooperation on the project worked extremely well, and the individual capabilities of the partners complemented one another ideally. That was what made the important findings and results possible.”
