MRI: Acquisition of an Integrated System for Advanced Visualization with Haptic Feedback Control

具有集成触觉设备的大规模可视化设施是实现德克萨斯大学圣安东尼奥分校(UTSA)突破性科学和工程的关键需求。我们建议的设施(Haptic Vis-Wall)被独特地配置为提供与非常大的、复杂的数据集的实时交互。已经确定了三个主要研究项目和十个其他项目，这些项目需要大规模的可视化设施，以便研究人员能够对他们的模型和数据进行深入解释，并产生明智的见解。此外，由于设备的独特性、资源在整个UTSA中的共享以及资源的高度可见性，可以预见，工程、计算机科学、统计学和其他领域的合作将会产生。此外，将触觉设备纳入研究和教学的能力将催生对这一重要资源的新认识，并将其应用于基础研究生和本科课程，并为解决学生留校率和毕业率问题提供一个有吸引力的工具。如今的学生往往通过图形化的教学表现出卓越的学习能力。对于少数族裔学生来说尤其如此，他们通常是上大学的第一代学生，往往无法接触到最新的技术。因此，这一将向UTSA所有教职员工和学生开放的设施可以对教育和研究成就产生重大影响。其他好处包括大幅增加对管理人员、教师、学生和未来学生的计算机科学、工程学、计算机编程、触觉和控制以及计算机图形学的宣传。该设施将位于校园的中心位置，用于教学和研究。

A large-scale visualization facility with integrated haptic devices is a critical need that will enable the realization of breakthrough science and engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Our proposed facility (Haptic Vis-Wall) is uniquely configured to provide real-time interaction with very large, complex data sets. Three primary research projects and ten other projects have been identified that require a large-scale visualization facility so that researchers can develop in-depth interpretation of their models and data and produce intellectual insight. In addition, due to the uniqueness of the equipment, sharing of the resource across UTSA, and the highly visible nature of the resource, it is foreseeable that collaborations across engineering, computer science, statistics and others will result. Also, the capability to include haptic devices into research and teaching will spawn new awareness and applications of this important resource into fundamental graduate and undergraduate courses and provide an engaging vehicle for addressing student retention and graduation rate issues. Today's students often exhibit superior learning through graphically based instruction. This is especially true for underrepresented minority students that are typically the first generation to attend college and often lack access to the latest technology. As a result, this facility, which will be open to all UTSA faculty and students, can have a significant impact on educational and research accomplishments. Further benefits include a dramatic increase in publicity of computational science, engineering, computer programming, haptics and controls, and computer graphics to administrators, faculty, students and prospective students. The facility will be centrally located on campus for both teaching and research.