Sign In

​​​​​

 

 

 

Virtual Reality Lab<img alt="" src="http://webtest.cira.it/PublishingImages/LRV-header.png" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />https://www.cira.it/en/research-infrastructures/virtual-reality-lab/Virtual Reality LabVirtual Reality Lab<p>​​​<br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">The Virtual Reality Laboratory, ever since 1999, is operational in role of the discipline of choice: improvement of the basic techniques, applications and interface devices, dissemination and integration of this technology in not only aviation industry, and through research and pilot projects with industry - the creation of proof-of-concept applications.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">To date the most covered application topics are assembly and virtual maintenance training and Design-for-Maintainability, where better than in other types of applications, it was possible to highlight the pluses of Virtual Reality - the ability to interact manually rather than a simple immersive visualization, even if appealing.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">The R&D topics aimed at perfectioning the techniques and the implementation of corresponding software modules to create realistic virtual environments and lifelike. Among these: the development of special techniques of immersive interactive assembly guide, the simulation of the rigid bodies dynamics for behavioral realism of virtual environments and its use for direct manual interaction, interfacing the grounded force-feedback devices also for grasp, the use of contactless input devices (camera-based Natural User Interface), the development of consultation mechanisms of technical documentation within the virtual immersive environment, the development of a research software system allowing implementation of the various studied techniques and allowing testing of distributed/clustered three-dimensional displays, and lastly, direct interfacing to CAD CATIA with an innovative plug-in approach.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">Ongoing activities include the effective use of Natural User Interface-type devices, such as the Leap Motion controller and Kinect, for contactless tracking of the hands and body, of even more people at once, and the extension of Virtual Reality applications to collaborative (2+ people), both on a local basis (people are co-located in the Laboratory), successively, geographically distributed.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">With regard to software, ViRstperson is the runtime system developed and used in the Laboratory for Virtual Reality applications, user-configurable by an expert but not necessarily a programmer, which encapsulates and makes readily available all the techniques developed by the Virtual Reality Laboratory CIRA in its multi-year activities. It interfaces directly with the human-machine interface devices (stereoscopic helmets and multi-walled projection systems, gloves, hands and body tracking systems with emphasis on the latest Natural User Interface devices such as Kinect and Leap Motion Controller) and allows the seamless import of 3D models directly from the CAD system CATIA through a special plug-in, as well as through countless 3D polygonal model file formats.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">The main features of ViRstperson are:</p><ul style="text-align:justify;"><li><p>Graphics: hardware shadow mapping, mirrors, ambient reflections, bump mapping, animations, material and object switching allowing configuration comparisons;</p></li><li><p>Simulation of rigid bodies dynamics based on ODE engine (a.k.a. OpenDE), with spatialized sonification of collisions;</p></li><li><p>Dynamic guide joints with snap mechanisms aiding assembly;</p></li><li><p>Remote-desktop-on-a-texture and video background (even stereoscopic);</p></li><li><p>Cluster, multichannel, stereoscopic (active/passive) Visualizzation;</p></li><li><p>Two hand manual interaction, spring-damper link (Borst-Indugula) between tracked hands and their corresponding physics-based ones;</p></li><li><p>Interfacing with a variety of VR devices (gloves, tracker, …) including Leap Motion Controller (interfacing Kinect v2 in progress);</p></li><li><p>Different external communication and control mechanisms of the application (device input via shared memory or UDP socket, external commands via the OSC over UDP protocol);</p></li><li><p>Imports most popular polygonal 3D data, like VRML, 3DS, OBJ, Collada and many more (all formats supported by the Plib and Assimp libraries);</p></li><li><p>CATIA v5 specially developed plug-in -- generates all input files allowing a CAD assembly import into a VR simulation;</p></li><li><p>3D GUI (FLTK Fluid file input layout), dynamics-based manual interaction;</p></li><li><p>First-person direct manual interaction oriented;</p></li><li><p>Opportunity to implement experimental new functionalities accelerating the research to prototype to deployment path.</p></li></ul><p style="text-align:justify;">CIRA's Virtual Reality Laboratory has maintenance training prototype applications, ViRstperson based, applicable to product support and Design-for-Maintainability, demonstrating natural manual interactions and physically credible behavioral simulation.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">By the end of 2017 a multi-sensory immersive simulator (visual, haptic, vibroacoustic) of a passenger cabin of regional aircraft and business jets will be available, and the first person maintenance simulation will be extended to a collaboration between several people in the same virtual environment, which includes an advanced multi-person contactless tracking system based on multiple Kinect v2 devices.</p><h4>Virtual Reality</h4><ul style="text-align:justify;"><li><p>Dual simulation areas, immersive (one person) and semi-immersive (up to 5 seated spectators) jointly utilizable in a synchronized manner;</p></li><li><p>Availability of prototype demo applications for direct manual virtual maintenance interaction.</p></li></ul><h4>Augmented Reality</h4><ul style="text-align:justify;"><li><p>Setup with monocular wearable visor and a wearable computer for demonstration of assistance to view-dependent maintenance using 2.5D pose estimation algorithm.</p></li></ul><h4>Virtual Reality</h4><ul style="text-align:justify;"><li><p>Two-wall passive stereoscopic projection system:<br></p></li><ul><li><p>full-HD vertical 4m x 2.25m see-through screen;</p></li><li><p>1400x788 floor mounted 3m x 1.7m screen;</p></li><li><p>with Wiimote based navigation.</p></li></ul><li><p>3D visualization computer cluster – 3 simultaneous stereoscopic channels (6 monoscopic channels).<br></p></li><li><p>5+1 surround audio reproduction system.<br></p></li><li><p>Stereoscopic nVis nVisor SX HMD 1280x1024 60° FoV (diagonal).<br></p></li><li><p>6-DoF wireless Polhemus Liberty Latus tracking system, tracking area 2.5m x 2.5m.<br></p></li><li><p>Desktop wired Polhemus Fastrak tracking system, three 6-DoF sensors.<br></p></li><li><p>Digital gloves: wireless with 5 and 14 sensors (5DT), wired with 22 sensors (CyberGlove).<br></p></li><li><p>Leap Motion Controller for desktop and immersive hand (VR HMD mode) tracking.<br></p></li><li><p>Kinect v2 for point of view tracking of the person directly in front the vertical projection system screen.<br></p></li><li><p>Autostereoscopic SeeReal 20'' screen.<br></p></li><li><p>Exoskeleton resistive force-feedback device (CyberGrasp).<br></p></li></ul><h4>Augmented Reality</h4><ul><li><p>Homebuilt high-performance wearable computer SBC 3.5'' based.<br></p></li><li><p> Monocular visor and one binocular equipped with a tele-camervideo see-through for AR.</p></li></ul>

 Media gallery

 

 

Laboratorio di Realtà Virtualehttps://www.cira.it/PublishingImages/Forms/DispForm.aspx?ID=845Laboratorio di Realtà VirtualeImagehttps://www.cira.it/PublishingImages/Lab%20di%20Realtà%20Virtuale.png
LRV Fig. 1https://www.cira.it/PublishingImages/Forms/DispForm.aspx?ID=1074LRV Fig. 1Imagehttps://www.cira.it/PublishingImages/LRV%20Fig.%201.png
Architettura di una Simulazione in VR basata su ViRstpersonhttps://www.cira.it/PublishingImages/Forms/DispForm.aspx?ID=1072Architettura di una Simulazione in VR basata su ViRstpersonImagehttps://www.cira.it/PublishingImages/LRV%20Fig.%203%20Architettura%20Simulazione%20LRV%20eng2.png
Laboratorio Realtà Virtualehttps://www.cira.it/PublishingImages/Forms/DispForm.aspx?ID=898Laboratorio Realtà VirtualeImagehttps://www.cira.it/PublishingImages/lrvt1_b.jpg
Laboratorio Realtà Virtualehttps://www.cira.it/PublishingImages/Forms/DispForm.aspx?ID=899Laboratorio Realtà VirtualeImagehttps://www.cira.it/PublishingImages/lrvt3_b.jpg
Laboratorio Realtà Virtualehttps://www.cira.it/PublishingImages/Forms/DispForm.aspx?ID=900Laboratorio Realtà VirtualeImagehttps://www.cira.it/PublishingImages/virt.jpg

 Read Also