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

该奖项根据 2009 年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法 111-5）提供资金。该奖项将资助购买基于 PowerWall 的虚拟现实 (VR) 系统，以支持 Prairie View A&M 大学 (PVAMU) 进行虚拟原型研究和教学。 VR 系统将能够提供虚拟对象的真人大小的 3D 可视化，并通过触觉反馈和运动跟踪器等非视觉显示方式增强。 VR系统的主要组成部分是PowerWall，它是一个平面、大型（10英尺×7.5英尺）立体可视化系统。由于二维计算机接口的限制，传统的虚拟原型技术面临着揭示虚拟原型的深度信息和空间复杂结构的挑战。 所提出的 VR 系统将为虚拟原型研究带来巨大的好处： 实现对真人大小的 3D 虚拟产品的身临其境的理解；揭示虚拟原型的空间复杂结构；并创建物理实验环境中不可能的虚拟环境。 PowerWall VR系统将用于四个核心研究项目和三个辅助研究项目。 VR设施将实现的核心研究项目是：（1）虚拟雕刻系统的开发； (2) 异质材料建模； (3) 头像？对人们行为的影响； (4)配体相互作用的分子模型。 二级研究项目包括：（1）推进部件设计优化； (2)碳纳米管复合材料的开发； (3)柔臂机器人的鲁棒控制。 VR系统还将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（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。 该设备将对机械工程、计算机科学和化学等三个学科的六名教职员工产生直接影响。 基础设施将对 PVAMU 的学生产生深远的影响，他们大多数来自弱势群体。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，例如工程与科学概念学院（ESCI）、STEM PREP CAMPS项目、少数民族工程概论项目（MITE）等。研究成果将通过期刊出版物和会议演示传播。

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.