vrclassroom

Summer Camp 2005

Summary of Summer Camp 2005

"Virtual reality, once thought to be far off into the future, is now in the hands of a group of high school students from around the state of Iowa. The VR4u summer camp is a joint effort between Iowa State University, Des Monies Area Community College, and Iowa Central Community College and is sponsored by The National Science Foundation. The three day camp was provided at no cost to the participants.

While at the camp, the students were exposed to one of the best VR centers in the world. The Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC) provides an inside look at what makes these high-tech gadgets work. Students not only saw some of the most impressive simulators, the highlight being the six sided C6, but also got to experience low cost VR. Headed by Shana Smith, a Professor in Industrial Technology, this low cost system allows almost any business or group to work in 3d.

The students worked in groups of four or five and built models out of Legos. They then worked as teams to draw all of the blocks in a CAD program called Inventor. Once they had the blocks drawn they then began to assemble them on the computer. Since the models now existed in a digital world, they could be loaded into the low cost VR program and seen in three dimensions. The models ranged from Santa, his sleigh and a group of reindeer, to a castle complete with a staircase, interior rooms, plants and a flag.

The three day camp also included industry tours. The tours took the group to a software company called UGS. The company demonstrated the cutting edge of CAD related software. After a brief question and answer session, the participants were taken to a company called Fake Space. This company designs, builds, and installs VR units all over the world. They also demonstrated how VR could actually be used in the work place by showing off a model of a VR cave in 3 dimensions.

Some other examples of how to use VR in the real world included a very impressive voice activated system that could allow you to move a virtual object in your hand and assemble it with other objects, all without touching a keyboard. The students were also shown a model of Iowa State’s solar car in 3D. Later on in the camp, the students got to see the real thing at Team PrISUm’s garage. This provides an opportunity to see how well things can be reproduced from a virtual world to the real world.

The three day camp wasn’t all work though. At nights the students and helpers watched “The Incredibles,” a movie that was produced using some of the same technology that they were using on their projects. There was also a night of bowling and billiards provided at the Iowa State Memorial Union. Then the students got a small feel of college life by sleeping in Friley Hall, one of the largest dorms in the world. They also ate most of their meals in the Union Drive Community Center, which is where the majority of the students at ISU go to eat.

By the time Friday came around, the models were being finished up and loaded into the VR program. Parents were invited to come see the models in 3D and then vote on the models that they thought were the best. Then the buses were loaded and the students departed, hopefully with a new understanding of how much closer VR is to becoming a tool used every day."

Video

General Introduction: Camp Promo Video