Antycip Simulation, a European integrator of virtual reality solutions, 3D immersive rooms and simulation software, has installed a four-sided VR CAVE (Cave Automated Virtual Environment) for the Heudiasyc laboratory’s Translife research programme. It is hoped that the completion of the VR CAVE will improve research of new technologies including automation, robotics and artificial intelligence. The new system enables the lab’s VR team to explore new models for adaptive feedback in virtual environments based on the Enaction theory, as well as decision modelling for informed interactions.
The four-sided CAVE is an immersive system used for research on virtual environments. It was designed with the capability to offer both a closed configuration (U-shaped) and an open one (L-shaped). Antycip enabled the right side of the CAVE to open at a 90° angle, with the projection platform moving and adjusting automatically into its new position.
Antycip recommended and installed four Christie Mirage 3-Chip DLP 3D projectors, offering a 1920 x 1200 resolution at 120Hz, capable of displaying 3D images on the walls and floor. Mounted above the structure on a self-supporting platform, a vertically-angled projector displays images on a 7m x 3.5m surface on the floor when the CAVE is “open”, and 4m x 3m surface when it’s “closed”. The company also created a bespoke mechanical system to allow users to open or close the fourth side of the structure, depending on the requirements.
The projectors are paired with an HP Z840 3D rendering station equipped with two Nvidia M60000 graphic cards and two Intel Xeon processors to cope with the image processing. A tracking system consisting of ten infrared cameras detects user movements within the CAVE, while the active 3D glasses and a joystick associated with detection sensors allow them to move around the virtual environment and interact with the content. A 5.1 audio surround system completes the installation.
