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Large Audience Participation in an Immersive Virtual Reality Auditorium
Project Plan
DEC02-10
02/26/02
Faculty Advisors:Carolina Cruz-Neira
Julie DickersonPaul Jewell
Team Members:Andrew Schwantes
Chad CromerDavid SnowYifei Wang
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS 1
Abstract 1Acknowledgement 1Definition of terms 2
PROJECT PLAN 3
Introduction 3Design Requirements 7End-Product Description 17Approach and Design 18Financial Budget 22Personal Effort Budget 24Project Schedule 25
CLOSURE MATERIAL 28
Project Team Information 28Summary 30References 31
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List of Figures
System Flow Diagram (Figure 1) 9
Project Schedule Semester 1 (Figure 2) 25Project Schedule Summer (Figure 3) 26Project Schedule Semester 2 (Figure 4) 27
List of Tables
Financial Budget (Table 1) 22Personnel Effort Budget (Table 2) 24
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Introductory Materials
Abstract
Iowa State University houses the United State’s largest virtual reality auditorium,
seating up to two-hundred and fifty people. The current system takes a computer
generated world and projects that onto a 15 foot by 30 foot screen. This system allows
for a single user to interact with the virtual environment being viewed. Each person
wears a pair of stereoscopic glasses to allow them to see a 3-dimensional image on the
screen. The goal of this project is to allow every person to simultaneously interact with
the virtual world. Every chair in the auditorium will be fitted with a personal interactive
device. Then the data is collected, processed, and sent to the VR application, all within a
time-critical range.
The project’s design will include the hardware to be mounted at each seat, the
software to collect the data, the software to process the data, and the software to apply
the data into the virtual reality application.
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank all the assistance and knowledge from the staff at the
Virtual Reality Applications Center, and Paul Jewell of the College of Engineering’s
Distance Education.
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Definition of Terms
VR - stands for virtual reality
Stereoscopic - Multiple versions of an image displayed such that with the proper viewing
glasses, display a 3D image.
Passive stereo - Viewing stereoscopic images without using electronic devices for
viewing (i.e electronic VR glasses).
Time critical - This applies when there is a time frame for tasks to be completed in.
VR Juggler - A virtual reality toolkit developed by the Virtual Reality Application Center
at Iowa State University.
C6 and C4 – These are two of the VR environments at VRAC. The “C” stands for cave
and the number represents how many sides the environment has. Both of these allow for
total immersive interaction.
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Project Plan
Introduction
General Background
At Iowa State University, there is an auditorium unlike any other in the world.
The auditorium seats 250 visitors and is fitted with passive stereoscopic projection
equipment. The current system allows for only a single person to interact with the
application while the rest of the audience may only watch. The goal of this project is to
provide each audience member a means to interact with the demonstration
simultaneously with the entire audience thereby creating a much more immersive
experience.
Technical Problem
There are several technical problems associated with this project. First the
physical design of the device has to be such that it is simple enough for a non-technical
person to pick up the device and intuitively understand how to use it.
Another problem is there are a massive amounts of inputs due to the fact that
there are up to 250 devices in use at the same time. This makes identifying which input
from which device has been triggered more complex. So as all of the data from the
devices is inputted it will have to be managed so that the application will be able to use it
effectively, and efficiently.
Another topic is how to manage the data. There are many algorithms that could
be applied to the input data. Testing will determine the most effective strategies. These
strategies will then be implemented into the software.
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Operating Environment
The interactive device attached to each seat will have to be rugged enough to
withstand certain intensive use. In an auditorium setting, people of all ages will have
access to the interactive devices. These devices will likely be dropped on the floor,
banged against armrests, tugged at the cords, as well as other forms of mistreatment.
The software that collects and processes the data will either have to be integrated
with or will have to connect with the VR Juggler framework in some effective fashion.
This is important so that the physical device will be able to communicate with the VR
Juggler application properly.
Intended users and uses
This project provides the auditorium with the ability to be an arena for large
interactive teachings, collaborative conferences, and allowing people to experience the
cutting-edge visuals of virtual reality. Uses will include academic presentations, project
reviews, artistic performances, technology demonstrations, or fun competitions.
An example of a possible interactive application that may be used is a game of
pong. In this example, the people in the auditorium would be split into a left and right
side. The two sides would be in control of their respective paddle. The audience would
then use the device to try and manipulate the paddle up and down such that it hits the
ball.
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The intended age group of this system will be high school students and up. It is
assumed that younger persons may find access to the devices during any other event in
the auditorium and may inflict harm upon the device.
Assumptions
· The interactive device will have digital components. This will define the input
mechanisms and the software.
· All of the devices will be connected to a single main computer. This gives easier
control by only dealing with one computer.
· The design will require for intermediate hardware between the individual devices
and the main computer. This hardware needs to collect the data and properly feed
it to the main computer.
· The wire scheme will be designed such that it does not interfere with the people
traffic. Along with the wiring scheme is the use of wire connectors on the seat
so that it is easier to replace broken devices.
· The software to collect and process the data must be designed within the VR
Juggler framework.
Limitations
· The communication between the interactive device and the VR application must
be done within time-critical constraints.
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· Because of the device’s design, or any design for such a device, the interactive
capacity is less than those of being fully immersed inside an environment like the
C6.
· The large lengths of the cable needed could lead to signal problems. With long
lengths of wire it is possible for interference and signals to jump lines.
· The scale of this project is very large and will lead to many unforeseen problems
to occur.
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Design Requirements
Interactive Device
The device that is designed will be mounted to each seat in the auditorium. This
will allow for every person sitting in the auditorium to simultaneously interact with the
running application. Each device will be a plastic encased unit equipped with a set of
digital and analog controls. The controls will be arranged in such a manner that they are
easy to press. The devices will be connected to a computer through a set of wires.
Wiring and Connectivity
Having two-hundred and fifty devices makes the use of wireless communication
to the devices very expensive and much more difficult. A scheme of wiring will be used
to connect all the devices to the main computer.
The wiring of the devices will have to be done in as unobtrusive of a way as
possible. This means that the less wire needed the better. The design of the wire layout
must minimize cable lengths. The shorter the line the better the line quality achieved.
To ease the operation of replacing bad units, a connector scheme will be in place.
This will be a connector for the wire line at the chair, allowing a defective device to be
detached from the line and replaced with a working unit.
Intermediate Hardware
To collect data from every interactive device, some sort of data collection
hardware will need to be used. The collection hardware will keep track of the button
presses and sending them to the main computer.
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Software
The software package will be written in C++. Its capabilities will be reliable
collection of data, and to send that data to the VR Juggler application. This will occur in
a time-critical manner. The structure of the package will have to fit into the framework
of VR Juggler.
Testing
For robust testing, a series of test applications will be included in the software
package to test the working order of the entire system. A demo will also be created to
test how well the audience is able to interact with a simple application.
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System Flow Diagram
Button presses sent to main computers
The processed data sent to VR-jugglerapplication
VR Juggler application projected to the screen
Figure 1
Figure 1 presents our project in a visual way, making it easier to understand. The
flowchart starts in the upper-left of the diagram. The hands holding the device represents
any person seating in the auditorium. When the user presses a button on the device, the
button press is sent to a main computer, which collects button presses from all the seats
in the auditorium.
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After the main computer receives a button press it sends that along to the VR
Juggler application. The data from the main computer must be sent in a format that the
Juggler application will understand.
The data that the application receives from the main computer is then processed
by the Juggler application and changes the application accordingly. The changing
Juggler application is then projected onto the large screen in front of the users.
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Functional Requirements
Interactive Device
The size of the device must be such that it can be used with two hands or easily
operated while holding with only one hand. With this in mind, the location of the
buttons must be placed in a fashion that allows for easy operation. The design of the
device's controls should also be done in a way that lets the user concentrate on the screen
instead of the device.
Interaction
The audience interactions with the application will be simple in nature. Some
examples of interaction would be simple movement using the arrow buttons. The
audience may be asked to navigate through a maze. So the interaction will be pressing
the corresponding arrows buttons to move up, down, left and right. Another type of
interaction will be giving the audience a set of choices. Then the members of the
audience press the button corresponding to the choice that they desire.
The application designer will be able to interpret the input from the users in any
way that they wish. This allows for endless possibilities of interaction with VR
applications.
Intermediate Hardware
This hardware must be able to round up all the data from the devices and keep the
individual signals separate. Then it must pass all the individual data packets to the main
computer for processing.
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Developer’s Interface
The software package must be designed to allow the developer of the VR Juggler
application to easily use our system. The software must also allow the developer to
choose between different processing schemes or create a new scheme. The term scheme
means the way that the participants are broken up into groups. Such groups could be the
entire auditorium, split into groups depending on location in the auditorium, or look at
each input by itself. This will also allow for the ability to use different algorithms in
order to decide what to do with a given set of inputs.
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Design Constraints
Size
The seats in the auditorium have a certain amount of free space between them.
The interactive device will have to be designed and mounted in such a way that the
devices don’t interfere with the normal movement of the seats.
Cost
It is rare when a project does not have a budget limit. In order to deal with the
constraints of cost, it is always good practice to research and investigate cheaper
alternatives. Functionality and quality of the device cannot be sacrificed for price.
Timing
To interact with a VR application the user should see his/her actions occur while
pressing the buttons. This requires the process of collecting and processing data to be
done within time-critical intervals. There must be a minimal delay from the time when
the user presses a button to the moment that the user sees the desired action occur on the
screen.
Available Technology
It is a possibility that in order to accomplish the project goals there may be a lack
of technology to provide a solution. Along with limited technology is the associated
higher cost.
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Device Identity
The system must allow the VR Juggler application developer to look at any
specific seat in the auditorium and monitor its key input. This will help define the data
collection hardware.
Robustness
The enclosure and assembly of the interactive device must be solid enough to
withstand destructive actions upon the device.
High Traffic
The high traffic of people in and out of the auditorium requires us to design the
wiring scheme to minimize crossing the paths of high traffic. This may affect the length
of cable needed and possible signal problems.
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Milestones
Device prototype by middle of April
Halfway through April a full working prototype of the interactive device will be
built. This will lead into the summer of building and installing all the devices into the
auditorium.
Success of our device will be measured by the number of recorded button presses.
Out of every one-hundred button presses, ninety-eight of those presses shall be detected.
Any larger loss of button presses would lead to an unresponsive system.
Software flow by middle of April
At this time the software will be able to plug in the prototyped device and pass
the button presses to the VR Juggler application. This is the first building block towards
the overall software package.
The success of this milestone will be measured by the delay that occurs between
the time a button is pressed and when the Juggler application receives that button press.
The total delay must be less than one second.
Wiring scheme by early May
By this time the possible wiring solutions for the auditorium will have been
analyzed. The wiring scheme and layout will be designed and ready to implement. This
will be necessary to use the summer time to outfit the auditorium.
The success of this milestone will be determined the same way as the interactive
device.
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Intermediate Hardware by August
Depending on the final decisions for the intermediate hardware, more time may
be needed to design and build our own equipment. So as long as a solution for the data
collection is achieved by the start of the second semester, everything will be able to be
accomplished on time.
Once again, this system will be successful if ninety-eight out of one hundred
button presses from every device attached is received by the software.
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End-Product Description
The two-hundred and fifty seat auditorium will provide its occupants with an
interactive 3D virtual reality experience. Each participant in the virtually reality
auditorium will have access to a versatile interactive device and stereoscopic glasses.
The interactive device and glasses will enable each seated individual to interact and make
decisions that directly influence the actions performed by the VR application on the
viewing screen.
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Approach and Design
Technical Approaches
The interactive device can be designed in many different ways. Topics of the
design are its mounting, controls, and how it’s handled. The device could be mounted
either directly to the armrest or attached to a retractable cable, and when not in use sits in
a holster attached to the seat. For controls we have the option of using either analog or
digital controls. An analog control would be a joystick, while a digital control would be
something like a push button. Keeping in mind the intended audience, the device
enclosure needs to be designed such that it is comfortable to use either one-handed or
while even using two hands.
For the multiple user data collection of interactive applications, two approaches
can be taken to collect the data. The first approach is polling. In this manner the
computer would continually poll one by one through all the connected devices. If the
computer sees a button press, then it does something and moves on to the next device in
line. The other manner is to stream the data to the main computer. When the device
receives a button press it sends a data packet to the computer.
The software also has two approaches to its design. The package could either be
a stand-alone program or a useable library. With the stand-alone program, some sort of
communication would have to be established with the VR Juggler application for it to
receive the data. If the software is built as a library, then it is merely used as an interface
that is included into the VR Juggler application architecture.
The interaction between all the hardware and software can occur within a
synchronous or asynchronous pattern. In a synchronous pattern the devices must set
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themselves to run at the same frequency as the slowest connected device. The
asynchronous approach allows the devices to run as fast as they can.
Technical Design
The interactive device must be designed such that it is detachable. This will
allow each participant to use the device in a comfortable fashion. The input controls,
buttons and such, will only be defined such that they are arranged in an easy to use
layout. And to add to the ease of operation, the device enclosure will be designed such
that it can be used either one-handed or two-handed.
The data collection must be done within a time-critical period. The only efficient
way to achieve this is to use streaming from the devices to the main computer to collect
the data.
To make the use of the software package as easy as possible, the software will be
designed as a mix between stand-alone and library components. The interface to the
devices and data collection will be a device driver used within the VR Juggler
framework. Along with this, an in-depth testing application suite will be developed.
This will be built as a stand-alone application that can be run from the computer by itself
and at anytime.
Keeping with the time-critical framing, the asynchronous approach will allow the
entire system to run at its fastest and most efficient by allowing the hardware and
software to run at its own speed.
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Testing Description
The testing processes of the entire design are separated into two main categories,
individual testing of hardware and software, and the collaboration of both.
The two criteria of the controller are to be durable and user-friendly. These two
requirements will be tested upon the completion of the prototype. For the durability
testing, the possible abuses of the auditorium setting will be simulated. These include
dropping the controller on the floor, hitting it on an armrest, and pulling the wires of the
controller. The controller should not be easily damaged. It should still be able to
function properly after all the simulations. Once the above qualifications have been met,
the user-friendliness test will take place among the design group members, faculties, and
other personnel who are involved in this project. Everybody will give thoughts on the
physical appearance, and intuitiveness of using the device. The device should be easily
held for different age groups, and the audience should be able to concentrate on the
screen while using the device. The functionality should be easily understood by the
appearance of the device, with very little or no instruction.
The software testing will be performed by using simulated test data. It must give
the expected output after processing these data. The perfection of the software will be a
continuous process. Along with the progress of the development of the hardware and the
requirements of other software tools, there will be many revisions.
Once the hardware and the software have met their individual requirements, the
collaboration testing will be performed. At the first stage, a subset of the inputs, about 20
to 30 controllers, will be connected to the computers. The software should be able to
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collect the corrected data, and give the desired outputs. This subset of controllers will be
placed in a wide range of locations in the auditorium. These locations must include both
the shortest path and the longest path for data to travel to the processing center. The time
delay should meet the time critical response requirement, and the length of the path
should not affect the validity of the data. The final stage of testing the entire package
will be the use of in house demos at VRAC that will be modified to run with the
auditorium devices.
Risk and risk management
This is a relatively large project considering the size of the auditorium. The time
line is critical. This requires that all the completions of the milestones have to be strictly
on time. Careful planning and time management from the very beginning of the project
will be helpful.
The loss of a member of the team is another risk involved in this project. There
are only 4 student members in this project, missing any member will have a great effect
on the advance of the project. However, because all the team members have hardware
and software experience, the lost member’s tasks can be split and finished with extra
effort from the remaining members. The hardware and software will still have two
people working at all times.
There is very limited research in the field of this project. Therefore, there are
many unpredicted situations, problems, which no one has the knowledge of. This is the
biggest risk that is being faced.
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Financial Budget
Table 1ITEM Calculation Original Estimated Cost
VRAC computer time for testing
30 weeks * 3 hrs/week * $200 per hour
$18,000.00
Plastic enclosures (designed)
Mold + parts $10,000.00
Push buttons 260 controllers * 6 buttons * $0.25 per button
$390.00
Power indicating LED 260 LEDs $50.00
Wire 8-wire cable – 1000 ft/$112.00
$3000.00
Computer and hardware
Main computer and any other hardware
$5000.00
Labor Assistance and knowledge from staff outside of project
group
$6000.00
Materials and Supplies
$500.00
Total $42,940.00
Table 1 reference and summary
The VRAC computing time is the cost for running any demos or testing on any of
the systems at VRAC. This includes the C6, C4, and the auditorium.
The plastic enclosure is what houses the electronics and what the user will see and
hold. We want it to be designed specifically for the auditorium and want it to be
creative. The cost contains the price of the mold, and the actual creation of all the
necessary device enclosures.
The push buttons, LED’s, and wire are just rough estimations of the cost of all the
parts that make up the interactive device.
Computer and hardware covers the purchase of the main computer, any data
acquisition boards, and any other hardware we may need for the intermediate hardware.
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Labor costs are for help and work from staff at VRAC that are outside of the
project team.
Materials and supplies covers the cost of shipping anything, items such as wire
connectors, wire protectors, printing of a manual and any other documentation.
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Personnel Budget
Table 2Personnel Estimated Semester Hours Estimated Summer Hours Total
Chad Cromer 124 150 274Andrew Schwantes 120 135 255
David Snow 127 150 277Yifei Wang 123 150 273
Total 494 585 1079
Table 2 reference and summary
During the two semesters each member of the group plans to work around 4 hours
per week, and over 30 weeks that totals near 120 hours. Vacations, time-off, and class
conflicts are the reason for the varying totals between members.
The summer months will provide for the opportunity to do a lot of work. With
the availability of 15 hours per week, the members total near 150 hours each.
Chad and Yifei will be focused on the hardware for the project. Around eighty of
the semester hours for each will be spent on the design and building of the prototype for
the interactive device. Along with this, they will also design and test the wiring layout
for the auditorium. The other forty semester hours will be spent implementing the
intermediate hardware and deploying it.
Andrew and Dave will be developing the software for the project. About sixty
hours, for both David and Andrew, will be spent on phase one of the software
development. The other sixty semester hours will be spent on creating the test suite and
software changes needed to incorporate the intermediate hardware.
All of the summer hours for the team will be spent building and installing all the
interactive devices into the auditorium.
Project Schedules
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Figure 2
Figure 2 represents the schedule for the first semester. There are four major sub-
projects during the first semester. They are the project poster, interactive device, wiring,
and software phase one. The two largest of these sub-projects are the interactive device
design and the software phase one work. This is due to the fact that these are both very
important milestones in the project and require a substantial amount of work.
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Figure 3
Figure 3 show our tentative schedule for the summer work. During this time the
team will be building and installing all the interactive devices. This will require lots of
man hours, and may require additional outside work.
The other major work for the summer is the implementation of the intermediate
hardware. This will be the hardware that allows for the collection of all the inputs
produced by the interactive devices.
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Figure 4
Figure 4 is the schedule for the second semester of work. The main focus of this
semester is testing. The device testing will be testing for correct operation of every
mounted device in the auditorium. The device to intermediate testing will be checking at
the intermediate hardware the receiving of button presses from all the devices. The
simulated environment testing will be simulating the abuse of the devices that may occur.
After the abuse, correct operation must still be achieved. And the collaborative testing
involves testing the devices with a running Juggler application, using the entire system.
Software phase 2 involves expanding the first phase to include the input of over
one thousand inputs. This will involve interfacing the intermediate hardware. With the
new input scheme, the testing suite needs to be changed as necessary and expanded. Also
included in this phase is a final demo to show off the system and how it could be used.
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Closer Material
Team Members
Chad Cromer
624 7th Street
(515) 233-6333
Computer Engineering
Andrew Schwantes
425 Welch Ave. #304
(515) 268-0707
Computer Engineering
David Snow
425 Welch Ave. #304
(515) 268-0707
Computer Engineering
Yifei Wang
3222 Lincoln Way #9
(515) 231-5490
Computer Engineering/Electrical Engineering
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Faculty Advisors
Carolina Cruz-Neira
2274 Howe Hall 1620D
(515) 294-5685
Virtual Reality Applications Center
Julie Dickerson
2274 Howe Hall 2624E
(515) 294-6399
Virtual Reality Applications Center
Paul Jewell
2273 Howe Hall 1364
(515) 294-1827
Engineering Extension
Client
Virtual Reality Applications Center
2274 Howe Hall 1620
(515) 294-3092
Iowa State University
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Summary
This project is an undertaking unlike anything else that has been done before.
When completed, Iowa State University will be the only place in the world where an
audience of up to two-hundred and fifty people will be able to simultaneously interact
with a virtual reality application, thus creating a feeling of immersion for the entire
audience. We believe that our solution will solve all of the technical oppositions that
stand in the way of completing this project. Using our solution we will have an easy to
use device which will be able to communicate with the VR Juggler framework, creating
full VR immersion for the audience.
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References
“Audience Interaction for Virtual Reality Theater and Its Implementation”,Sang Chul Ahn, Ig-Jae Kim, Hyoung-Gon Kim, Yong-Moo Kwon, Heedong Ko,Imaging Media Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology
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