MRI: Acquisition of a PowerWall Virtual Reality System for Enabling Research/Teaching in Virtual Prototyping

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的，该奖项将资助购买基于powerwall的虚拟现实（VR）系统，以使Prairie View A&amp；M大学（PVAMU）的虚拟原型研究和教学成为可能。该虚拟现实系统将能够通过非视觉显示方式（如触觉反馈和运动跟踪器）增强虚拟物体的真人大小的三维可视化。VR系统的主要组成部分是PowerWall，它是一个平面的、大型的（10英尺× 7.5英尺）立体可视化系统。由于二维计算机界面的限制，传统的虚拟样机技术面临着揭示虚拟样机深度信息和空间复杂结构的挑战。提出的虚拟现实系统将为虚拟样机的研究提供相当大的好处：使身临其境的了解一个真人大小的三维虚拟产品；揭示虚拟样机的空间复杂结构；创造一个虚拟的环境这在物理实验环境中是不可能的。PowerWall VR系统将用于四个核心研究项目和三个辅助研究项目。虚拟现实设施将实现的核心研究项目有：(1)虚拟雕刻系统的开发；(2)非均质材料建模；(3)化身?对人有什么影响？年代行为;(4)配体相互作用的分子模拟。二次研究项目包括：(1)推进部件设计优化；(2)碳纳米管复合材料的研究进展；(3)柔性臂机器人的鲁棒控制。虚拟现实系统也将被整合到机械工程和计算机科学的研究生和本科生课程中。PowerWall系统的收购预计将对PVAMU（一所历史悠久的黑人学院和大学）的研究、教育和基础设施建设产生重大影响。这些设备将对涉及机械工程、计算机科学和化学等三个学科的六名教员产生直接影响。基础设施将对PVAMU的学生产生深远影响，其中大多数学生来自代表性不足的群体。大约175名本科生和研究生将受到研究培训和课程的影响。这些设施和相关项目将通过暑期项目向女学生和K-12学生展示，如工程与科学概念研究所（ESCI）、STEM预备营计划、少数民族工程入门计划（MITE）等。研究结果将通过期刊出版物和会议报告传播。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)This award will fund the acquisition of a PowerWall-Based Virtual Reality (VR) system to enable the research and teaching in virtual prototyping at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). The VR system will be capable of providing life-size 3-D visualization of virtual object enhanced by nonvisual display modalities, such as haptic feedback and motion tracker. The major component of the VR system is the PowerWall which is a flat, large-scale (10 ft by 7.5 ft) stereoscopic visualization system.Conventional virtual prototyping techniques face the challenges of revealing the depth information and the spatially complex structures of a virtual prototype due to the limitation of two-dimensional computer interface. The proposed VR system will offer considerable benefits for researches in Virtual Prototyping by: enabling an immersive understanding of a life-size 3-D virtual product; revealing the spatially complex structures of a virtual prototype; and creating a virtual environment which is not possible within physical experimental setting. The PowerWall VR system will be utilized in four core research projects and three secondary research projects. The core research projects that will be enabled by the VR facility are: (1) Development of virtual sculpting system; (2) Heterogeneous material modeling; (3) Avatars? impact on people?s behavior; and (4) Molecular modeling of the ligand interaction. The secondary research projects include: (1) Design optimization for propulsion components; (2) Development of carbon Nanotubes composites; and (3) Robust control of flexible arm robot. The VR system will also be integrated in the graduate and undergraduate curricula in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science.The acquisition of the PowerWall system is expected to have significant impact on research, education and infrastructure building at PVAMU, a Historically Black Colleges and University. The equipment will have a direct impact on six faculty members in three disciplines involved in researches, including Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, and Chemistry. The infrastructure will have profound impact on students at PVAMU, most of whom are from underrepresented groups. Approximately 175 undergraduate and graduate students will be affected by the research training and courses. The facilities and the related projects will be demonstrated to women students and K-12 students through summer programs, such as Engineering and Science Concepts Institute (ESCI), STEM PREP CAMPS program, Minority Introduction to Engineering program (MITE), etc. The research results will be disseminated via journal publications and conference presentations.