Comments on HCI CAVE Activities

HCI Background on CAVE proposal:

Links to the HCI ( Motivation / Background / Objectives ) sections of the CAVE Proposal.

In existence since 1979, the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Research Group at Virginia Tech is one of the pioneering groups in user interface development and evaluation. The strength of our HCI-related activities in the CAVE(tm) lies in a combination of characteristics that is unique to Virginia Tech. Specifically, we have an unparallelled synergy of equipment, expertise, and environment. Many organizations have purchased and are using VE equipment. Some organizations have expertise in developing and evaluating a wide variety of VE applications. We know of no other organization anywhere that has the supportive environment to empower the kind of innovative, ground-breaking research made possible by this rich combination.

Equipment: In addition to the CAVE(tm), we have extensive VE equipment, including an Immersadesk, head-mounted displays, head trackers, shutter glasses, and so on.

Expertise: A broad range of multi-disciplinary research in HCI has been on-going at Virginia Tech for nearly two decades. Our group consists of computer scientists, human factors experts, psychologists, psychometricians, statisticians, and numerous application areas such as engineering, veterinary medicine, art and architecture, biology, chemistry, and so on. Most of these researchers have many years of experience and are well-known in their field.

Environment: The Virginia Tech administration and, indeed, the Commonwealth of Virginia are committed to use of advanced technology in the classroom as well as in research endeavors. VEs offer an interesting opportunity to combine research and teaching -- to build a bridge between the two. In addition to our equipment, expertise, and administrative support, we have the physical infrastructure to provide needed resources for innovative research and development. These include a state-wide ATM network; extensive contacts in commercial, military, government, and academic organizations; and partnership in the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) group.