INDUSTRY

The world's leading experts and users of immersive project technology and virtual reality will meet at Iowa State University for the 8th International Immersive Projection Technology Workshop. Called IPT 2004, the event will take place May 13-14 at ISU's Hoover Hall. Organized by ISU's Virtual Reality Applications Center and the Fraunhofer Institute of Industrial Engineering, Stuttgart, Germany, the conference will highlight new and unique work in projection-based immersive environments for virtual reality applications. "IPT 2004 is the event where we share our passion for immersive environments with others as developers, educators, marketers, artists, technologists, end users and students," said Carolina Cruz-Neira, IPT 2004 co-chair and associate director of VRAC. She adds that several technologies are expected to be shown at the conference for the first time. An international committee of experts from university and industry is putting together the conference program. Immersive projection technologies rely on computer-generated images and sound to create environments that can be experienced as "real" to users. The technology takes on a variety of forms, from wall-length panoramic screens to room-sized virtual reality theaters. The idea is to "immerse" users in a simulated environment and, in most cases, let them interact with it. Immersive projection technology is being applied across an ever-growing range of areas, including engineering design, virtual prototyping, architecture and art as well as manufacturing simulation, robotics, flight simulation, medicine, scientific visualization and education. The workshop will take full advantage of VRAC's suite of sophisticated virtual reality systems, allowing many technologies to be demonstrated live during the conference. "It would be difficult to find better facilities anywhere in the world in which to hold a conference on immersive projection technology," Cruz-Neira said. VRAC's C6 is one of the world's most advanced immersive projection systems, consisting of a 12-by-12-by-9 ft. room that immerses users with images on four walls, the ceiling and floor. VRAC's C4 is a flexible system that uses a top-projected floor and rear-projected front and side walls to create an immersive, synthetic environment that supports multiple screen configurations. The event will also make use of a low-cost, portable VR system developed by VRAC. For more information, including registration fees, visit the IPT 2004 Web site at http://www.vrac.iastate.edu/ipt2004/.