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。该奖项将资助收购基于PowerWall的虚拟现实（VR）系统，以支持Prairie View AM University（PVAMU）的虚拟原型研究和教学。 VR系统将能够提供实物大小的虚拟物体的三维可视化，并通过非视觉显示方式（如触觉反馈和运动跟踪器）进行增强。 PowerWall是一个扁平的、大尺寸（10 ft × 7.5 ft）的立体可视化系统，传统的虚拟样机技术由于二维计算机接口的限制，在显示虚拟样机的深度信息和空间复杂结构方面面临挑战。 建议的VR系统将提供相当大的好处，在虚拟样机的研究：使一个身临其境的了解一个真人大小的3-D虚拟产品，揭示空间复杂的结构的虚拟原型，并创建一个虚拟环境，这是不可能在物理实验设置。 PowerWall VR系统将用于四个核心研究项目和三个次级研究项目。 虚拟实境设施所能提供的核心研究项目包括：（1）虚拟造型系统的开发;（2）异质材料建模;（3）化身？对人的影响？的行为;（4）配体相互作用的分子模拟。 次级研究项目包括：（1）推进部件的设计优化;（2）碳纳米管复合材料的开发;和（3）柔性臂机器人的鲁棒控制。 该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。PowerWall系统的收购预计将对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。 这些设备将对机械工程、计算机科学和化学等三个学科的六名教师产生直接影响。 基础设施将对PVAMU的学生产生深远的影响，他们中的大多数人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。 的 将通过暑期项目，如工程和科学概念研究所（ESCI），STEM PREP CAMPS计划，少数民族介绍工程计划（MITE）等，向女学生和K-12学生展示这些设施和相关项目。

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.