From: lonachon@anu.edu.au (andrew longhorn )
Subject: re: TECH: my standard CONTINUED.....
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 92 00:57:53 GMT
Organization: Australian National University



Dynamic allocation of input and output controls.........

The way this works is:

The user enters the virtual worlds network (whatever), he has set his
default object to be a human shape (he sees this as most practical) so
he appears with his default inputs and outputs settings hooked up to
the human object just initialised.

He walks (floats, flys) around doing work for a while, then decides he
isn't happy with the way his virtual index finger looks bent backwards
when he staightens his real finger in his dataglove. He makes a
gesture and the macintosh -like control panel appears in space in
front of him, he selects the icon with the picture of the right hand,
grabs the slider indicating the mapping functions of the right index
finger and pushes it up slightly, changing the starting point for
mapping the input. When he does this, his virtual fingure staightens
out. He flexes it a few times to test it, and a box appears,

"whoops, thats the gesture for GET TOOLS"

so he dismisses it. Then he saves changes to his interface to the
human object he is in and dismisses the control-panel. Then he decides
he wants to try taking over a table.

He selects a table and makes the gesture for TAKE-OVER. A question
pops up saying the table didn't object, does he want to go ahead with
it even though he hasn't defined a default mapping of functions for
it. He selects yes, and instantaniously there is flash of light and
then nothing (black, no sound, etc). He realised this would happen as
he is not interfaced with the object yet and has left his body behind,
so he thinks the first thing he should do is restore sight. He makes
the gesture for control-panel again and the panel pops up. It is
empty. "Oh, the creator of the table didn't bother with any
interfaces. I suppose that makes sense.." he dismisses the window and
thinks he should make his own table with eyes and ears that can walk.

Instead he makes the gesture for "reset-body" and is linked back with
his default body shape after another equally spectacular flash of
light.

Later on he spots a large spider he hasn't seen before. He thinks, oh,
cool and selects it to and asks to take it over. A message pops up
saying malcolm@grig.anthropology.edu is doing some arachid study and
wants to be left alone.

The spider shrinks down to the size of a red-back and hurries off
under a chest of drawers.

etc...  I think you get the idea.....  Basically, I see that when are
controlling something with external input devices and getting
information back, you should have some interactive control over some
variables in those interfaces, aka the mac control-panel.

The creator of the "physical" object would define a control-panel item
for each of an objects inputs and outputs that anyone linking to that
object will use to set how they're inputs and outputs would match to
that of the object.

ie they select the left index finger in the control panel, and see
that it is linked to the output of the left index finger of the gloves
they are wearing. They can change this to be linked to the
x-rotational component of the helmet they are wearing so when they nod
their head, their finger bends. They also have controls on offsetting
the information (i.e. +/- 90 degrees, +/- x mms) and scaling it (20%,
40%, 100%) so they only have to half nod their head to fully bend
their finger.

All I am proposing is that these mappings be not fixed so the user
cannot change them, Macintos even allows for 4 speeds of mouse
movement mapping for individual preference.

Another $0.02c worth from ACME Personalisable VRs.

Andrew Longhorn.