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

该奖项由2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)资助。该奖项将资助购买基于PowerWall的虚拟现实(VR)系统，以支持在Prairie View A&Amp；M大学(PVAMU)进行虚拟样机的研究和教学。VR系统将能够提供真人大小的虚拟对象的3-D可视化，这些虚拟对象通过非视觉显示方式(如触觉反馈和运动跟踪器)进行增强。虚拟现实系统的主要组成部分是Powerwall，它是一个平面、大规模(10英尺×7.5英尺)的立体可视化系统。由于二维计算机接口的限制，传统的虚拟样机技术面临着揭示虚拟样机的深度信息和空间复杂结构的挑战。所提出的VR系统将为虚拟样机研究提供相当大的好处：使人们能够身临其境地理解真人大小的3-D虚拟产品；揭示虚拟样机在空间上的复杂结构；以及创建在物理实验环境中不可能实现的虚拟环境。Powerwall VR系统将用于四个核心研究项目和三个次级研究项目。VR设施将支持的核心研究项目是：(1)虚拟雕塑系统的开发；(2)异质材料建模；(3)虚拟化身？对人的影响？S的行为；以及(4)配体相互作用的分子模拟。二次研究项目包括：(1)推进部件的设计优化；(2)碳纳米管复合材料的开发；(3)柔性臂机器人的鲁棒控制。VR系统还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。收购Powerwall系统预计将对PVAMU的研究、教育和基础设施建设产生重大影响。PVAMU是一所历史悠久的黑人学院和大学。这些设备将对参与研究的三个学科的六名教职员工产生直接影响，包括机械工程、计算机科学和化学。基础设施将对PVAMU的学生产生深远影响，他们中的大多数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，如工程和科学概念研究所(ESCI)、STEM预备营计划、少数族裔工程入门计划(MITE)等。研究成果将通过期刊出版物和会议演示文稿传播。

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.