From: ko@komac.hobby.nl (Ko Stoel Amersfoort Holland)
Subject: flex image carrier, Phigs, etc
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 92 16:29:25 GMT
Organization: Hobbynet User Group, Netherlands.



HMD
===

1.a I am looking for high res HMD, lcd's don't 
seem to have high resolution yet, small CRT's
are low res or very expensive, chip displays
with array of LED's or based on electro-luminance
do not exist.

1.b An other option is to guide
a (big)monitor image via a bundle of glass-fibers, as
used in endoscoops, to the eye. 3k$ a piece.
Head movement is restricted but i only want
virtual desking. There is a natural crystal
ulexite with the same optical properties as
a coherent bundle of fibers, pitty there isn't
a pliant polymer equivalent. So no cheap high res 
solutions?


POSITION DETECTOR
=================

2.a I thought of attaching 6 conductive elastics
to a HMD, measuring resistance could determine
head position;
 a cheap but unelegant solution.  

2.b Ultrasonic or IR light could be used
to measure positions.(using speed of
sound c.q. light)
The former was offered some time ago by
an add in BYTE never heard of them anymore.
The latter could be combined with 1.b (but
what with reflections) it needs atleast an
IR semiconductor LASER for fast switching and
some GHz electronics.


RENDERING
=========

3. Rendering hardware/software for Phigs
doesn't get much attention in this newsgroup.
There's some discussion on standards, well here's
one: Phigs.
SUN microsystem seems to go this way:
developing PEX (Phigs and Xwindos combined)
and recently in cooperation with a firm for
developing a HMD.
Some development is done for running Phigs
on a farm of transputers, the more power you
want the more transputers you use, i like
this better than using dedicated graphic boards.

GENERAL
=======

Until now VR is an expensive toy, something
like the Nipkov disk in early television.

VR should encompass HDTV and DeskTop GUI's
and must be as comfortable to use as
sun-glasses

any comments are welcome

Ko