xrcoe, Author at X-Reality: University of Michigan XR ⋆ Page 10 of 10

March 2, 2001September 30, 2020

Virtual Football Trainer

Imagine watching the U-M football team playing in a sold out Michigan Stadium on a sunny Saturday afternoon. But instead of cheering from the bleachers, you are being transposed right down to the field next to the quarterback. You are in the middle of the action. You can move to any position and experience the game from the player’s point of view. You feel like being a participant, no longer a spectator.

The technology of immersive virtual reality makes this amazing scenario possible. as you are fully surrounded by the virtual players on the field, the players are presented in full scale and in stereo. It seems that you can touch them. You can look and walk around, hover over the quarterback, or even fly to cover distances quickly.

The simulation of football plays in immersive virtual reality has a most useful and very promising application in the training of football players for specific aspects of a game. The University of Michigan Virtual Reality Laboratory has developed the concept for such a “Virtual Football Trainer” and has implemented a demo version that illustrates the potential in an already convincing way.

The original idea for the Virtual Football Trainer was inspired by the Lloyd Carr, head football coach at the University of Michigan. Generous funding for the development of the system came from the Graham Foundation and equipment support from Silicon Graphics Inc. The Michigan football staff provided continuous guidance and valuable expertise for the design and implementation of the Virtual Football Trainer.

Original Project Page: Virtual Football Trainer

March 2, 1999September 30, 2020

Medical Readiness Trainer

This ongoing project is an interdisciplinary effort at the University of Michigan involving the Medical Center, the Department of Emergency Medicine, the Digital Media Commons (formerly the Media Union), and the Virtual Reality Laboratory at the College of Engineering. The objective is the development of a “Virtual Reality-Enhanced Medical Readiness Trainer” (MRT) that integrates advanced technologies like human patient simulators, immersive virtual reality MIDEN systems, next generation Internet technology, virtual video conferencing, and more in the context of distributed and shared virtual environments for the training of emergency personnel in a variety of common as well as extreme situations.

One such example of the collaboration is the design and organization of an Operating Room (OR) in fully immersive virtual reality. This particular application allows a physician or hospital administrator to configure a virtual operating room for optimal efficiency and safety.

Another example of efforts originating from this collaboration is the development of the sick bay application for the Virtual Reality MIDEN. This application places the individual in a sick bay on turbulent waters. Our peripheral vision plays a large role in our orientation and balance. Performing medical procedures as the room appears to move and shift around you is a difficult task that is better prepared for in advance. The MIDEN‘s wide field-of-view and immersion allow for a effective and nauseating experience perfect for training medical personal on naval vessels.

Original Project Page: Medical Readiness Trainer