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CAVE Home to Cutting-Edge Experiments

By The Daily Illini
August 12, 2010
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Illinois Simulator Laboratory Director Hank Kaczmarski — Hank Kaczmarski, director of the Illinois Simulator Laboratory, explores the three-dimensional CUBE, a walk-in structure that displays rear projected images on every side.

Credit: Ned Mulka / The Daily Illini

The Illinois Simulator Laboratory (ISL) at the University of Illinois is equipped with several simulators that can test human perception and cognitive abilities, in addition to creating virtual environments in which people can interact with abstract concepts. Several projects are being conducted at the lab, such as a virtual surgery project that enables veterinary students to perform surgery virtually before doing so on an actual animal, says ISL director Hank Kaczmarski.

ISL Director Kaczmarski demonstrates a pedestrian simulationin the CAVE, a four-sided 3-D projection environment.Credit: Ned Mulka / The Daily Illini

ISL also features a room-sized immersive environment, known as the CAVE, which was recently used for an experiment to determine why people are distracted and inadvertently walk in front of buses. "We found out when a person is engaged in a very personal cell phone conversion, the mental attention required takes away from visual attention needed," Kaczmarski says.

The lab is equipped with a three-dimensional visualization chamber called the CUBE. The six surfaces of the CUBE, including the floor, are acrylic panels coated with a dark rear-projection material. To see the visualizations, users must wear a pair of 3-D glasses.

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