We will much broader access VERY soon (this week possibly) as the networking and software installation is completed!

Room by room news:

Music Room - I bought a guitar stand and strap over the weekend! While that doesn't sound like big news at all...it does say something important. That we're at the point where things are really moving here! One machine (what I've been calling the synthesis machine) is truly up and running with the instruments being recognized and Reason 3.0 generating music! We'll be ordering another copy of Reason 3.0 for the 2nd machine here. Also...after a lot of thought and research our current idea is to use Adobe Audition 1.5 to deal with the analog audio component of music/sound. This program works nicely with Reason and should provide what is missing in Reason. Other choices include using Cubase or Sonar...but that seems to duplicate what Reason offers...

Virtual Reality Room - we're up and running here as well. There are already three groups working on projects! We've had some difficulty finding an appropriate parallel interface for one of the Sensable Desktop haptic units but I don't expect that problem to last for long. The other two haptic units (which are quite cool!) are working fine - ask to try the Dice Demo!

Immersion Room - we're waiting for the Barco 2D/3D Gemini projection system to complete this room. The expected date of arrival is the end of September. When finished I guarantee that this room will be "way cool"!

Console room - come and play some games!!! All the XBOXs, PS2s, and Gamecubes are working and the room is VERY cool from all the student feedback that we've received. Of course faculty wouldn't be caught in this room at all - NOT! Marc Buchner and Michael Rabinovich (new professor in EECS) have been spotted playing Project Gothem! The consoles should all be networked this week (though we did make a temporary cable to tie two of them together - couldn't resist!)

PC room - all the PCs have been networked and we've been playing with software images containing the first round of installed software. Oh yes...we added a b/w and a color laser printer to the lab in this room - somehow this fell through the cracks in our original hardware requirements list.

I would like to add a MAJOR thanks to all who have participated in the lab design, construction, and implementation. There are many individuals who have contributed (and are continuing to contribute) in different ways ranging from helping to select carpet color...to helping spec the hardware...to networking and setting up all the computers...to testing the hardware and software...to keeping me sane during difficult times with the construction. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for helping to create a truly special place here at the University that will bring strong educational value in truly, exciting and enjoyable ways.

In any event...the big news is that the lab is open for business...at least in part. The console room is up and running (and is a blast from all the feedback that we've gotten), the music room is up and running, and the virtual reality room is up as well.

The PC room...while we have all of the equipment in place...needs to have the computers networked before we allow open access. In fact none of the networking is in place in the lab at the moment. The EECS tech staff are hard at work putting all the networking in place (which is no small job!).

I've uploaded a short Power Point presentation which shows the portions of the game development room (the PC room), the digital music production room, the VR development room, and the console room. The actual lab has more "substance" to it and really needs to be seen in person to appreciate, but you get some idea of what we're doing from the slide show.

I'll have more to say later on today but I want to get this up quickly...

More to come...

We have delivery of the furniture scheduled for tomorrow! All of the computers, equipment, etc. (apart from the BARCO projector) is waiting in department storage to be put into the lab...just a few days away!!!

Because there's not much to report I thought that I would put together a complete list of all equipment that we're installing for the lab and post that here. I thought that I had done this...but I guess not...

Oh...one thing more...Froggy and I will be hightailing it to Best Buy this afternoon and picking up the consoles, some equipment, and an assortment of games to start. We should have a blast!

OK...here's the complete list (many details have been omitted to keep this a reasonable length...

Hardware in the new Virtual Worlds Lab (by room)

Virtual Reality Room:

Alienware MJ-12® 7550A SYSTEM Graphics Workstations (2)
24” Dell LCD Monitor (2)
iGlasses 3D Head Mounted Displays (2)
Inertial Tracking Devices (3 Degree of Freedom)
Magnetic Tracking Devices (6 Degree of Freedom)
5 DT Data Glove -14 joint
5 DT Data Glove – 5 joint (2)
Phantom Desktop Haptic Interface (1)
Phantom Desktop Omni Interfaces (2)

Music/Audio Room

Computers:
Alienware AREA-51® 5500 SYSTEM PCs (2)
24” Dell LCD Monitor (18)

General:
Midi Solutions Quadra Merge
M-Audio-Delta 1010LT (PCI Midi+Audio In)
Samson C-que 8 headphone amp
M-Audio Studiophile LX4 2.1
M-Audio Studiophile LX4 5.1 expander (surround sound)
Sony-7506 Headphones
Vocal Microphone – Shure PG58-XLR
Microphone stand
Microphone cable
Instrument microphone – Shure Beta 57A
Microphone stand
Microphone cable
Proco Midi Cables

Instruments:
Roland Handsonic Drum: HPD-15
M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 (USB)
Keyboard stand
Keyboard stool/seat
Fender Roland Ready Standard Strat
Guitar stand
Guitar strap
Roland GR-20 Guitar Synthesizer

Console:
Sony VPLHS51 Short Throw DLP Projection Units (4)
Xbox (4)
PS2 (4)
Stereo Speaker Systems (4)

Immersion:
Alienware MJ-12® 7550A SYSTEM Graphics Workstation (1)
24” Dell LCD Monitor (1)
La-z-Boy Matinee Chair (1)
Xbox (1)
PS2 (1)
Yamaha YHT-360 Surround System
Barco 2D/3D DLP Projection System

PC Room:
Alienware AURORA™ 7500 SYSTEM Gaming PCs (18)
24” Dell LCD Monitor (18)

Medical Simulation:
Haptic Interaces
Graphics Workstations (2)
Alienware MJ-12® 5500 SYSTEM Game and File Server
Alienware AREA-51® 5300 SYSTEM PCs for entranceway monitors (2)
24” Dell LCD Monitor (3)

OK...that's about it...we're nearing the point where I'll be comfortable putting up some pictures...likely tomorrow...so stay tuned and enjoy!

Oh...one more thing...I've been talking with ITS people here on campus and have requested getting G4TechTV on campus cable...and we should now have it (channel 95 if I'm not mistaken). You will probably have all kinds of feelings about the channel...but we'll be showing it 24/7 (well during the day at any rate) in the Lab on a large TV!!!

Ok...enjoy and see you soon!

The lab was funded from the University through a Provost Opportunity Grant. This mechanism attempts to support unique and innovative educational opportunities that have the potential to have a significant impact on the educational mission and values of the University. The Virtual Worlds lab was strongly supported by the School of Engineering in going forward to the Provost's office.

While I can't say what was in the minds of the Administration in approving the grant, I can provide a summary of the background of the project (largely excerpted from the original proposal):

Project Overview
The new Virtual Worlds facility is intended to be used as a focal point for a broadly based experiential learning environment, thus it is strongly consistent with the University and School's mission and values! Here, the term “Virtual Worlds” is understood to mean the area of simulation and gaming in its broadest sense. The new facility coupled with an associated educational thrust has the potential to form the basis for extensive positive change in core engineering courses, CSE SAGES seminars, and a large variety of courses in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department and possibly in other CSE departments.

Such a thrust can form a framework to (1) permeate the teaching environment of the School and the EECS department with strongly experiential-based learning opportunities, (2) re-energize existing undergraduate courses, (3) provide the basis of new, relevant, and exciting courses, and (4) serve as the basis of a new interdisciplinary curriculum that will provide diverse, immersive learning opportunities for specific cross-school fields such as art, dentistry, medicine, and music.

Motivation
The general area of simulation and gaming is having a tremendous influence in a large number of disparate commercial, governmental, and educational contexts. While in the regional and national economy, simulation represents a significant component in this framework, the gaming area alone represents an incredibly large market (over $10B/yr) for technology. Providing an education directed at contributing to technology in this area coupled with the use of games and simulations to motivate educational development presents a compelling opportunity for CSE and EECS. While there are a variety of universities that are beginning to explore and implement curricula in this area, Case stands out in being one of the only research and educational institutions that emphasizes fundamental concepts while at the same time proposing to use games and simulations as a major vehicle for educational experiences and as the basis for a new curriculum.

School of Engineering and University Relevance
The lab will also provide the School of Engineering with a cornerstone facility that is of broad potential interest to students, research sponsors, and supporters of the School. Demonstrations and direct experience with the auditory, visual, and tactile experiences involved in virtual simulation and gaming will keep the EECS department at the forefront of technology in this area of direct relevance to our lives.

The EECS Department has one of the largest undergraduate student populations in the university. It is hoped that this facility coupled with the immersion of students in simulation and gaming experiences throughout the existing curriculum and the development of a new curriculum thrust in this area will significantly re-energize the undergraduate teaching and learning engineering experience and provide a mechanism for our students to interact, in a concrete, substantive manner with non-engineering students across Case, the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA), and the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM).

In particular this year will see the first offering of EECS 396L - Advanced Game Project which is an interdisciplinary course taken by EECS students, music students, english students, and Cleveland Institute of Art students. This is promising to be an extraordinarily exciting course in which large student teams will conceptualize, realize, and implement games of their own creation, i.e from concept to wrapper.

This year will also see the implementation of EECS 290 - An Introduction to Computer Gaming and Game Design course. This course is an introduction to many aspects of computer game design and programming and is directed at students who have only had ENGR 131 - the freshman Elementary Computer Programming course.

Finally, this year will also see the use of the lab in our more traditional courses: Artificial Intelligence, Networks, Graphics, and Simulation to provide an exciting motivational and instructional framework. I think that it is important to point out that the area of gaming represents a computationally "stressful" application...in that many games use the full range of available computer resources - ranging from requiring specially designed architectures, high processor speeds, advanced graphics capability, and sophisticated programming techniques - all of which indicates that developing capabilities in these gaming related areas should clearly provide the student with the tools to apply these basic ideas in other applications.

Next year an additional course at an intermediate level (presuming a pre-requisite of Data Structures course) will be offered.

In summary the attraction of the lab (and presumably why it was funded) is that it will satisfy several of the important goals noted earlier: allowing for the offering of new and exciting courses in the important application area of gaming, providing a facility to be used as an experientially oriented application framework in our more traditional courses, and as a vehicle for strongly cross-disciplinary courses and projects across the University (and University Circle!).

Wow...that was certainly a long blog entry for me...but I hope that I've been able to address some of the concerns that have been raised. Please do not hesitate to raise others with me...though in a few weeks I will be in the throes of the new semester (teaching EECS 396L - the game project course that I noted earlier and EECS 351 - Introduction to Communication Systems and dealing with the final construction and operation of the lab!) and will likely have little time for blogging!

Thanks and hope that you're enjoying the end of the summer!

A final check/touch-up of some small items and we'll be ready for the furniture that is waiting in local storage to be delivered!

The Alienware computers are expected to arrive shortly afterwards and hopefully the Sony DLP projectors for the XBOX and PS2 consoles and the music/audio equipment will follow and then we'll be in a major equipment setup mode for a a short while.

It appears that we'll be waiting longer (to October perhaps) for the Barco 2D/3D projection unit because of snafus in the ordering process. It should be worth the wait however as it will complete the Immersion room.

Everything is happening quickly now and I hope to have another entry in about a week or so with some pics of the lab (hopefully my photographic skills won't let me down!).

Enjoy!

Oh...by the way...our 24" LCD monitors from Dell just came in (we have 26 of them!!!)...things are starting to happen VERY quickly in the lab!!!

AURORA™ 7500 SYSTEM (Gaming PC's - quantity 18)

Processor: AMD Athlon™ 64 FX-57 Processor with HyperTransport Technology
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support with Onsite Service
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 510 Express 650 Watt peak power
Chassis: Alienware® Full-Tower Case - Space Black
Motherboard: Alienware® nForce™4 SLI™ Chipset Motherboard PCI Express
Graphics Processor: NVIDIA® GeForce™ 7800 GTX PCI Express 256MB DDR3 w/Dual Digital and TV Out
Video Optimizer: AlienAdrenaline: Video Performance Optimizer
Memory: 2GB Low-Latency Dual Channel DDR PC-3200 at 333MHz - 4 x 512MB
System Drive: High Performance - Serial ATA - 74GB Serial ATA 10,000 RPM w/8MB Cache
Storage Drive: Additional Storage Drive - 250GB Serial ATA 7,200 RPM w/8MB Cache
Primary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 16x Dual Layer DVD±R/W Drive
Sound Card: Integrated High-Performance 7.1 Surround Sound with S/PDIF and Coaxial Digital Outputs
Floppy Drive: 3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive - Black
Network Connection: Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Keyboard: Microsoft® Multimedia Keyboard - Saucer Silver
Mouse: Microsoft® IntelliMouse Explorer 4.0 - USB - Saucer Silver

AREA-51® 5300 SYSTEM (Display PCs for the doorway - quantity of 2)

Processor: Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 520 w/ HT Technology 2.8GHz 800MHz FSB 1MB Cache
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support with Onsite Service
Chassis: Alienware® Area-51 5300 Small Form Factor Chassis - Black
Motherboard: Alienware® Area-51 5300 Motherboard with Intel® 915G Chipset
Graphics Processor: ATI RADEON™ X300 PCI Express 128MB DDR w/Digital and TV Out
Memory: 512MB Single Channel Low-Latency DDR PC-3200 at 400MHz - 1 x 512MB
System Drive: High Performance - Serial ATA - 80GB Serial ATA 7,200 RPM w/8MB Cache
Optical Drive: 52x32x52x CD-RW Drive
Sound Card: Integrated 6-Channel Audio with SPDIF and Composite Out
Removable Storage : 3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive - Black
Network Connection: Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Keyboard: Microsoft® Basic Keyboard Black
Mouse: Microsoft® Basic Optical Mouse Black

AREA-51® 5500 SYSTEM (Audio Production/Synthesis PCs - quantity of 2)

Processor: Intel® Pentium® Processor Extreme Edition 840 w/ HT and Dual Core Technology 3.2GHz 800MHz FSB
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support with Onsite Service
Power Supply: Alienware® 550 Watt Max Power Supply
Chassis: Alienware® Full-Tower Case - Saucer Silver
Motherboard: Alienware® PCI Express Motherboard with Intel® 955X Chipset
Graphics Processor: NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6600 GT PCI Express 128MB DDR3 w/Digital and S-Video Out
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 x 1024MB
System Drive: High Performance - Serial ATA - 250GB Serial ATA 7,200 RPM w/8MB Cache
Storage Drive: Additional Storage Drive - 250GB Serial ATA 7,200 RPM w/8MB Cache
Primary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 16x DVD-ROM Drive with Software DVD Decoder
Secondary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 16x Dual Layer DVD±R/W Drive
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy® 4 Pro High Definition 7.1 Surround Sound with Dual Firewire (IEEE® 1394)
Floppy Drive: 3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive - Black
Network Connection: Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Keyboard: Microsoft® Basic Keyboard Black
Mouse: Microsoft® Basic Optical Mouse Black

MJ-12® 5500 SYSTEM (Game/File server - quantity of 1)

Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support with Onsite Service
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
Case: Alienware® Professional Workstation Chassis - Black
Power Supply: Alienware® 550 Watt Max Power Supply
Motherboard: Alienware® PCI Express Motherboard with Intel® 955X Chipset
Processor: Intel® Pentium® Processor 840 w/ Dual Core Technology 3.2GHz 800MHz FSB
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 x 1024MB
Graphics Accelerator: NVIDIA® Quadro™ FX 1400 PCI Express 128MB DDR w/Digital and Stereo Out
A/V Work Drives: High Performance with Data Security - Serial ATA RAID 1 - 400GB (400GB x 2) Serial ATA 7,200 RPM w/16MB Cache
System Drive: High Performance - Serial ATA - 74GB Serial ATA 10,000 RPM w/8MB Cache
Hard Drive Bay: SATA Hot-Swap Bay for Workstation Chassis
Removable Storage : 3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive - Black
Primary Optical Drive: 16x Dual Layer DVD±R/W Drive
Network Connection: Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Digital Audio Hardware: Integrated High-Performance 7.1 Surround Sound with S/PDIF and Coaxial Digital Outputs
Keyboard: Microsoft® Basic Keyboard Black
Mouse: Microsoft® IntelliMouse Explorer 4.0 - USB - Saucer Silver

MJ-12® 7550A SYSTEM (Graphics workstations - quantity of 3)

Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support with Onsite Service
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
Case: Alienware® Professional Workstation Chassis - Black
Power Supply: Enermax EG651P-VE 24P 550 Watt Power Supply
Motherboard: Tyan® Thunder K8WE Motherboard w/ SLI Support
Processor/s: Dual Processor - Dual AMD Opteron™ 250 2.4 GHz 64-Bit
Memory: 4GB Dual Channel DDR Registered ECC SDRAM at 400MHz
Graphics Accelerator: NVIDIA® Quadro™ FX 3400 PCI Express 256MB GDDR3 w/Digital and Stereo Out
System Drive: High Performance - Serial ATA - 74GB Serial ATA 10,000 RPM w/8MB Cache
Storage Drive: Extreme Performance - Serial ATA non-RAID - 800GB (400GB x 2) Serial ATA 7,200 RPM w/16MB Cache Hard Drive Bay: SATA Hot-Swap Bay for Workstation Chassis
Floppy Drive: 3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive - Black
Primary Optical Drive: 16x Dual Layer DVD±R/W Drive
Network Connection: Dual Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Digital Audio Hardware: Integrated 5.1 Onboard Audio
Keyboard: Microsoft® Basic Keyboard Black
Mouse: Microsoft® IntelliMouse Explorer 4.0 - USB - Saucer Silver

Comments??? I don't know about you...but I'm drooling just writing this blog entry!

Later...

We have a tentative date of Thursday August 11 to do a "punch list" on the lab, i.e., to do a walk through noting what is truly finished and what small items remain to be done...though the hope is that virtually (bad pun, I know!) all the construction will be complete at that point.

The physical space is really shaping up. If you've been on the 4'th floor of Olin lately and taken a peek at the lab space behind the construction door (not the real door, I promise!) then you'll know what I mean. The rooms have been painted (though the console room and the immersion rooms need to be repainted because they were painted flat black and need to have a slight sheen on them (trust me...this is best for fingerprints, etc.). Also, the new 5 ton A/C unit is in place along with all new lighting, wiring, etc.

The carpet is due to be put in on August 8 and our fancy new glass door is due before then...the furniture will arrive slightly after August 11th...way cool!!!!

We've just ordered the complete set of computers for the lab! I'm not sure of the exact delivery date...but the machines are truly HOT! We've gone with top of the line Alienware systems throughout. I'll post the specs next time...but only if you promise to use a bib so you won't drool all over the floor!!! LOL!!! We've ordered 18 gaming PCs for the PC room, one graphics workstation for the immersion room, two fast PCs for the audio room, two graphics workstations for the VR room, a game/file server, and two sloooow machines (as compared the the other computers only) to drive the 24" LCD monitors in the entrance door (likely they'll only be running power point!).

After the construction is finished and the furniture is in...we'll pick up the gaming consoles (I wish that Xbox 360s and PS3s were out now!)...and a set of good games! We're waiting on the Sony short throw DLP projectors (4) for the console room and the Barco 2D/3D DLP projector pair for the immersion room. So far, we're not really sure when they'll come in as there have been some delays in the purchasing of these units.

That's it for now...after the construction is finished and some furniture is in...I'll post some photos...and more specs on the machines/electronics...

Hope that you're enjoying your summer!

I have to admit that it was very strange to come to the 4'th floor and see the ceiling being torn down in the old mail room and the other rooms as well. Tomorrow they will be erecting a temporary protective/security door and several of the existing walls will be torn down! I'm tempted to grab a sledgehammer and give some of these a few whacks...but reason will prevail I'm sure.

The new anticipated date of all of the physical construction is July 31. At that point we'll be installing the computers, virtual reality gear, consoles, projectors, networks, etc. in order to be ready for the beginning of the Fall semsester.

We've also just ordered furniture for the lab and it promises to be quite sharp. In some places quite shocking! Hopefully quite comfortable throughout! In the Immersion room, I've asked for a quote and will most likely order a powered La-z-boy Matinee chair. You'll have to pry me out of that chair while I'm "playing" with Flight Simulator!

The contents of the Audio room have been decided as well...in particular we'll be getting:

PC Software:

Cakewalk Sonar 4 Producer software (2 licenses)
Reason 3 (2 licenses)

Hardware items

General:

Midi Solutions Quadra Merge
M-Audio-Delta 1010LT (PCI Midi+Audio In)
Samson C-que 8 headphone amp
M-Audio Studiophile LX4 2.1
M-Audio Studiophile LX4 5.1 expander (surround sound)
Sony-7506 Headphones
Vocal Microphone – Shure PG58-XLR
Microphone stand
Microphone cable
Instrument microphone – Shure Beta 57A
Microphone stand
Microphone cable
Proco Midi Cables

Instruments:

Roland Handsonic Drum: HPD-15
M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 (USB)
Keyboard stand
Keyboard stool/seat
Fender Roland Ready Standard Strat
Guitar stand
Guitar strap
Roland GR-20 Guitar Synthesizer

Computers:

2 Dell XPS Gen 4 (1 GB RAM, ATI Radeonâ„¢ X850 XT PE,
250 GB hard drive, 48x-CD-RW & 16xDVD R/W,
24� Ultrasharp Monitor)

That's about it for today. I'll probably be posting more frequently now that things are moving along quickly!

Before I get to the lab and what's happening there...I have been reading Mano Singham's blog about David Horowitz and his attacks on the "professorial life" and all I can say (about Mano's comments) is BRAVO! I only wish that I can be half as eloquent when my friends as family inquire..."just what DO you do"? I have to agree with Mano in that when I hear negative comments they stem from jealousy...and with good reason...I have a great job...doing exactly what I want to do in a great environment (Case) and working with great people (faculty, staff, and students).

Enough of that...now back to the future (and the lab). A few interesting things to report on today. First, Christian Miller (CS student and ACM president) has received summer funding from the SOURCE program to work in support of the new EECS 396L course for Fall semester. This is the interdisciplinary course that will be taken by CS, CE, EE, S&C majors in addition to english and music majors...in collaboration with the Cleveland Institute of Art's TIME program (headed by Jurgen Faust)! The class will be broken into a few teams and each team will need create a game idea and bring it into fruition...from brainstorm to box is the basic idea...

In any event Christian will be studying the use of two game "engines" for use in the class: The half life 2 engine and Renderware's engine. I've started him on a first project - the creation of a virtual "Reserach Showcase"...not quite a game, but it promises to be interesting and potentially useful as well. I'll keep you posted on his progress.

We've ordered a high powered portable laptop today for use in connecdtion with the lab...both for demonstrations and networked (wireless) gaming. Virtually all of the lab's PCs will be "desktop bound" and this will give everyone a chance to see what's needed for wireless games.

Incidentally...that reminds me...we have available a new PSP that can be loaned out from the EECS Student Affairs office. You can simply use it to play and chill during the day. Thus far we have Wipeout Pure, Lumines, and Twisted Metal for your enjoyment! Just stop by...and ask Lakia if you can borrow the handheld. It's got GREAT graphics and a great sound system (be sure to bring your own headset to appreciate it fully!).

The final bids for the physical construction of the lab are due on Thursday and we should be starting immediately after graduation....each day get's us closer to the opening...but the demolition and (re)construction has to be done first...ugh...I can't wait!

That's about it for today...oh...one more thing...got a glimpse of a powerful 3-D human animation program, Endorphin, that we're thinking about acquiring...it's quite cool.

So long for now...

The lab has a grand opening date of Fall 2005 and we're close to accepting bids on the physical construction on the 4'th floor of Olin. We've done a pre-bid walkthrough with six contractors and construction (actually demolition first!) is planned to begin the day after graduation...though to be realistic...I'll give it a few additional days to get started.

A pdf of the floor plan (along with more info) can be found here which is the official website for the lab.

We've started to order some of the equipment...notably the virtual reality gear including data gloves, head mounted displays, and haptic interfaces. We're also ordered four Sony short-throw front projectors for the console room (housing the Xboxs and PS2s). The 3D projection unit for the immersion room will be ordered soon (it probably has the longest delivery time of anything that we're going to buy). In the coming weeks we'll be ordering mucho hardware and software...goodies galore for everyone (undergrads will have priority!).

Well...let me post this and, if successful, I'll be following it with more entries...with more news about the lab!