From: cyberoid@milton.u.washington.edu (Robert Jacobson)
Subject: News from Other Worlds: (1) New Tactile Glove,
Date: Tue, 3 Sep 1991 06:25:39 GMT
Organization: Human Interface Technology Lab, Univ. of Wash., Seattle




News, bits and bytes, from Other Worlds...
 
(1)	BUSINESS WEEK ("Developments to Watch," 9/2/91) reports 
that "scientists at the National Advanced Robotics Research Centre 
(NARRC) in Salford, England, are taking the so-called virtual reality 
concept one step further [than the VPL DataGlove]:  Their electronic 
glove lets you 'feel' a computer model."  According to BW, the NARRC 
glove uses "dozens of tiny air bubbles under the glove's lining" to 
produce the sensation of shape or movement.  By increasing the 
number of bubbles, the NARRC researchers hope to convey the feel of 
different surface textures.  And, "[r]ecently, VPL joined the team."  
BW reports a prototype will be unveiled in October.
 
				*      *      *
 
(2)	The UIST T91 (User Interface Software and Technology Con-
ference) is shaping up as a most interesting event.  Sponsored by 
SIGGRAPH and SIGCHI, UIST T91 is scheduled to take place at Hilton 
Head, South Carolina (USA), on November 11-13, 1991.  Topics to be 
covered include:
 
			* Virtual Workplaces
			* Interactive Components
			* CSCW
			* UI Frameworks
			* Input Techniques
			* Constraint Techniques
			* Internationalization
			* UI Builders
 
	Speakers among this newsgroup's participants include Jiandong 
Liang, Chris Shaw, and Mark Green of the University of Alberta; 
Steven Feiner and Ari Shamash of Columbia University; Pierre 
Wellner of Xerox Europarc; and Randy Pausch of the University of 
Virginia.
 
	Delivering one of the plenaries will be Andries van Dam of 
Brown University, a pioneer in the interface field, speaking on 
"Escaping Flatland."
 
	One of the most interesting talks at the UIST '91 must be 
Monday's banquet address, "A Nose Gesture Interface Device:  
Extending Virtual Realities," by Tyson Henry, Scott Hudson, and 
Andrey Yeatts of the University of Arizona; Brad Myers of Carnegie 
Mellon University; and Steven Feiner.  I'm sure I express everyone's 
wonder at this topic and its obvious importance to the future of our 
field....   ;-)
 
	Registration before October 7th, for ACM members, is $300; 
for non-members, $350; and for students, $150.  Fees are higher by 
$75 for ACM members and non-members.  (They remain the same for 
students.)  For more information, contact Rachel Robins at UIST T91 
Registration, (212) 869-7440; email, sigs@acmvm.bitnet
 
	Hotel costs are $72 per room at the Marriot's Hilton Head, 
(803) 842-2400, (803) 681-4740 fax.
 
				*      *       *
 
(3)	AZIMUTH is the new hypermedia journal of virtual environ-
ments and remote presence to be published in November 1991 by the 
Inpac Corporation of Tokyo, Japan.  AZIMUTH is an interdisciplinary 
journal with bilingual text and illustrations in both English and 
Japanese.  Sitting on AZIMUTH's board of editors are Scott Fisher 
(Telepresence Research), Paul Haeberli (SGI), Pat Hanrahan 
(Princeton U.), Masanori Kakimoto (Fujitsu Research Laboratory), 
Yoichiro Kawaguchi (Nippon Electronics College), Roman Kroitor 
(Imax), Nelson L. Max (Lawrence Livermore Natl. Labs), and Suma Noji 
(Nippon Electronics College).  Sponsors include the Nicograph Asso-
ciation (equivalent to the ACM SIGGRAPH) and Nippon Electronics 
College.
 
	AZIMUTH has issued a general call for papers, abstracts, and 
news items.  It will also carry advertisements pertinent to the field.  
Currently, AZIMUTH is only available to readers with a Macintosh 
computer runnning System 6.0.7 or higher, with a hard disk and at 
least 2 MB of RAM.  HyperCard 2.0 or higher is required.  For the 
Japanese version, KanjiTalk 6.0.7 is required.
 
	Subscriptions must be ordered in either the English or Japan-
ese version.  Individual subscriptions are $68 or Y9,600; institu-
tional subscriptions are $164 or Y24,000.  Orders may be placed by 
mail or fax; American Express credit card orders are accepted, along 
with personal checks and bank transfers (Fuji Bank, Tokyo, Honancho 
Branch [248], "Reg. Account No. 373-3514, Azimuth," yen only).
 
	To contact AZIMUTH, the addresses are:
 
	Postal Mail:	AZIMUTH
			45-18, Izumi 4-chome
			Suginami-ku
			Tokyo 168, JAPAN
 
	E-Mail:		azimuth@twics.co.jp
 
	Fax:		From Outside Japan:	(81) (3) 5377-1432
			From Inside Japan:	(03) 5377-1432
 
	Reports on AZIMUTH and its contents will be welcome here.  I 
intend to subscribe, too, and will report my impressions, IMHO.
 
Bob Jacobson
Moderator
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