Cave Automatic Virtual Environment

Hailing from the English term Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (abbreviated: CAVE, literally translated: Cave with automated, virtual environment) denotes a space for projection of a three-dimensional illusion world of virtual reality.

Details

The NCSA CAVE defined as " to immersive virtual reality facility designed for the exploration of and interaction with Spatially engaging environments". CAVE can be realized in various ways. One possibility is a cube having up to six projection, possibly including a glass plate from the bottom is illuminated with a projection or wall has to be moved to enter the space.

The term CAVE deliberately evokes the allegory of the cave in Plato's Republic, which deals with the relation between perception and cognition, and reality and illusion.

The prototype of a device for real-time visualization of art and science for several people in a room has been developed by the art professor Daniel Sandin and computer scientists Tom DeFanti and Carolina Cruz - Neira at the University of Illinois at Chicago and presented at the 1992 SIGGRAPH.

More recent, comparable VR systems are ImmersaDesk and iWall. A related technique is the immersion.

Areas of application

CAVE can be used for different areas:

  • In the area of ​​CAD CAVE systems are increasingly being used, the should give the developers in a three dimensional panoramic system, the subsequent appearance of equipment or buildings.
  • Construction / telepresence: Engineers can work with the CAVE technology over large distances in virtual constructions.
  • Simulation: In the training and training systems are used, in which the trainees move in a CAVE and even can interact with computer-controlled characters, such as flight simulators.
  • Medical Research: Scientists use CAVEs for a variety of medical projects, such as the representation of the heart, of enzymes or for DNA research.
  • Entertainment: The immersion in video games is enhanced. For the 3D Games Doom 1, Quake II and Quake III Arena there are already functioning ports.
  • Use in the field of psychology and psychotherapy (eg virtual spaces in the form of immersive art on the example of AlphaSphere ).

Alternatives

Another way to let the user immerse in an artificial world, is the representation on a head- mounted display. Such a system allows the use of the method of motion compression, which is also used in the long-range telepresence, the running around in large simulations, which is not possible in the CAVE. The user will without noticing on one, against the visually perceived path, twisted path led. The distance traveled and rotate on the spot remain unchanged.

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