ITEC is a show that we have covered only for the last three years, after it came to London in 2016. it then moved to Rotterdam last year and this year took up just one hall of the Stuttgart Messe. Next year’s event will be in XXX The show covers simulation and is the European equivalent of I/Itsec in the US, but it has less innovation and product launches. At ITEC, one vendor told me that 80% of his business is done in the US with the military. In the US, he said, they buy a unit, try it, ask for some changes, but then go ahead. In Europe, in contrast, they think about it for a while, ask for a free sample, then when you chase them for feedback, they probably haven’t looked at it! For this reason, product announcements are often better at I/Itsec.
Our main impression when we arrived was how much VR there was on display. The technology is, of course, ideal for immersive simulations at reasonable cost – especially compared to full-on simulators or caves. We didn’t see much that was really new, although check our article on a JVC prototype. The projection coverage is in LDM and the VR in MDM.
There were no LED displays at all at the show, that we spotted and the advantages seem not to be important at the moment. However, we can imagine that, eventually, the technology may end up being used, especially if microLED develops well. Domes suffer from a fundamental problem of relatively low contrast when projection is used.
This parachute simulator is an ideal VR application. Image:Meko
There were quite a few demonstrations of physical controls in simulated settings. Image:Meko
We were surprised to see no curved monitors in this kind of application as they would be more immersive. Image:Meko
