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ICAT '93 - the third International Conference on Artificial reality and Tele-existence July 6-7, 1993, Tokyo, Japan.
From: David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1993 04:37:48 -0500
From: Dr. David K. Kahaner ABSTRACT. ICAT '93 - the third International Conference on Artificial reality and Tele-existence July 6-7, 1993, Tokyo, Japan. Report on ICAT '93 - the third International Conference on Artificial reality and Tele-existence July 6-7, 1993, Tokyo, Japan Submitted by: Dr Mei Kobayashi ( LAB-S73 ) Media Systems Institute, IBM Tokyo Research Laboratory 1623-14 Shimotsuruma, Yamato-shi, Kanagawa-ken 242 Japan Tel: +81 462-73-4934; Fax: 81+462-73-7428 Email: MEI () TRLVM VNET IBM COM The following is a report on ICAT '93, the Third International Conference on Artificial reality and Tele-existence held July 6-7, 1993 in Tokyo, Japan. Readers are forewarned that this article has been written by a someone who did not actually attend the meeting; the report was written after discussions with a limited number of attendees. A second note of caution: this is an English report on Japanese reports about a workshop held in English here in Japan. In short, facts and details about the workshop have been passed through several unusual filters so that the output may be slighly distorted or skewed in perspective. Many thanks to Dr. David Kahaner for his kind words of encouragement, "epsilon.gt.0"; indeed I hope that this limited report is better than none. [Readers may want to reveiw last year's conference, "icat.92", 5 Aug 1992, DKK.] The report consists of four sections: 1. Administrative Information and Conference Program 2. ICAT '93 Proceedings: Table of Contents 3. ICAT '93 Video ( review and comparison with the video: Virtual Reality '93 (JTTAS) ) 4. Impressions and Tidbits on the Conference Official papers and documentation will be covered in parts 1 and 2. I will pretty much limit discussion in parts 3 and 4 to impressions and trends sensed by attendees rather than technical details. Interested readers are requested to directly contact speakers and/or the organizing committee regarding purchases of the proceedings, technical content, details, etc.. ________________________________________________________________________ 1. Administrative Information and Conference Program Sponsors: Japan Technology Transfer Association (JTTAS) 2-11-2 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100 Japan tel: 03-3597-8220, fax: 3597-8224 The Society of Instrument and Control Engineers Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Inc. Organizing Chair: Prof. Susumu Tachi, RCAST, U. of Tokyo Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) Organizing Co-Chair: Prof. Michitaka Hirose, The Univ. of Tokyo International Organizing Commitee: Steve Ellis, NASA Ames Research Center Yukio Fukui, Agency of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), MITI Hiroshi Harashima, The Univ. of Tokyo Toyohiko Hatada, Tokyo Inst. Polytechnics Katsura Hattori, Asahi Shimbun Takayuki Itoh, NHK Hiroo Iwata, The Univ. of Tsukuba Robert Jacobson, World Design, Inc. Myron W. Krueger, Artificial Reality Corp. Carl Loeffler, Carnegie Mellon Univ. Taro Maeda, The Unov. of Tokyo Ryo Mochizuki, Media Int'l Corp. Warren Robinett, the Univ. of N. Carolina Makoto Sato, Tokyo Inst. of Technology Thomas B. Sheridan, MIT Robert Stone, Nat'l Advanced Robotics Gen Suzuki, NTT Human Interface Laboratory Haruo Takemura, ATR Communication Systems Research Laboratory David Traub, Compec I have not listed the program since it is a subset of the table of contents of the Proceedings given below. The conference consisted of two days of talks, demos and a panel discussion with lunch and coffee breaks breaks at comfortably spaced intervals. Keynote lectures by Loeffler (7/6), Harashima (7/7) and Ellis (7/7) kicked off both days of the meeting. General talks were gievn in three technical sessions: 1. Virtual Reality Communication and Control, 2. Virtual Environment Construction, 3. Force Display and Shape Modeling. In addition to the technical program, there was the first Inter Collegiate Virtual Reality Contest (ICVRC '93) and a Beer Party on the evening of the 6th. A high registration fee and length ( 2 weekdays ) were enough to make corporate managers think carefully about the number of researchers to send to the meeting. One estimate put the number of attendees at somewhat over 100. ________________________________________________________________________ 2. ICAT '93 Proceedings: Table of Contents Marks: K = Keynote Speech 1 = Technical Session I: Virtual Reality Communication and Control 2 = Technical Session II: Virtual Environment Construction 3 = Technical Session III: Force Display and Shape Modeling O = Other Papers without Presentation K Carl Loeffler ( Project Director, Carnegie Mellon U. ) Distributed Virtual Reality: Applications for Education, Entertainment and Industry 1 Susumu Tachi, Kenichi Yasuda ( RCAST, U. of Tokyo ) Evaluation Experiments of Tele-Existence Manipulation System 1 Haruo Takemura, Yasuichi Kitamura, Fumio Kishino, Jun Ohya ( ATR Communications Systems Research Laboratory ) Distributed Processing Architecture for Virtual Space Teleconferencing System 1 Michael Zyda, Chuck Lombardo, David R. Pratt ( Naval Postgraduate School ) Hypermedia and Networking in the Development of Large-Scale Virtual Environments 2 Ryugo Kijima, Michitaka Hirose ( U. of Tokyo ) Virtual Sand Box: A Development of an Application of Virtual Environment for the Clinical Medicine 2 Gen Suzuki, Shouhei Sugawara, Machio Moriuchi ( NTT Human INetrface Laboratories ) Visual Communication Environment Using Virtual Space Technology 2 Kazuo Itoh ( VR Project Manager, Asahi Electronics, Inc. ) PC Based VR Systems K Hiroshi Harashima ( U. of Tokyo ) Face Expression and Communication K Steve Ellis ( Head: Spatial Perception and Advaced Display Lab., NASA Ames Research Center ) What are Virtual Environments ? 3 Hiroo Iwata, Hiroaki Yano ( U. of Tsukuba ) Artificial Life in Haptic Virtual Environment 3 Juli Yamashita, Yukio Fukui ( AIST, MITI ) A Direct Deformation Method of Free Forms for CAD Interface 3 Masahiro Ishii, Makoto Sato ( Tokyo Inst. of Technology ) A 3D Interface Device with Force Feedback for Pick-and-Place Tasks 3 Martin Buss, Hideki Hashimoto ( U. of Tokyo ) Intelligent Cooperative Manipulation Using Dynamic Force Simulator O Matthew Regan, Ronald Pose ( Monash U. ) An Architecture for Orientation Mapping Post Rendering O Eliot Handelman ( Princeton U. ) Permeable Space - a Language of Virtual Perception I find the Proceedings to be an excellent and interesting source of information. It is not a real book; it is a set of photocopies of A4-size papers, which have been heat-bound. ( Note: that SIAM Japan and other Japanese organizations use the same type of binding. ) ________________________________________________________________________ 3. ICAT '93 Video ( review and comparison with the video: Virtual Reality '93 (JTTAS) ) In addition to the proceedings, the conference package contained a video of some of the VR, Tele-existence and artificial life systems described in the papers. Some of the topics overlap with those which appear in the video: VIRTUAL REALITY '93 (VR '93) distributed by the Japan Technology Transfer Association. Although the clips from the two videos emphasize different aspects in the same laboratories, they are similar enough to make one regret the purchase of both. The contents of both are compared and outlined below. ICAT '93 Video: The ICAT '93 video is, as advertised, a video supplement to the usual printed proceedings. It shows the movements and inner workings of some of the tools described in the papers, and is a valuable plus to reader. Unfortunately, the quality of the clips in the ICAT'93 video vary quite a bit. At the risk of sounding overly critical and somewhat disrespectful, I offer the following notes of caution ( for those who may be contemplating a purchase ) : - Clips 1, 2 and 5 are too long and could use some streamlining and/or editing. - Some clips suffer from poor audio recording. - All of the narrations may be a little difficult to understand by those who are not used to listening to non-native speakers. - Although the music in the fourth clip helps to pick up the pace, it becomes very distracting when combined with an Indian accent. Contents: ICAT'93, Video Proceedings ( ~18 minutes ) 1. Susumu Tachi, Kenichi Yasuda ( RCAST, U. of Tokyo ) Evaluation Experiments of Tele-Existence Manipulation System ( narration by Japanese male ) Tele-existence is defined and a method for quantitative comparison of tele-existence systems is proposed. The ability to complete tasks under different operating conditions is studied. Results are listed below in order of best to worst. - Binocular ( Stereo ) Vision + Head Mount Display (HMD) - Non-stereo ( 1-Camera ) Vision + HMD - Robot Mounted Camera, no HMD - Outside ( Remote ) Camera, no HMD The ability of Robots to handle complex situtations, e.g. moving fragile objects ( eggs ) is shown. ( Note: Same system appears in VR '93 video, similar egg scenario ) 2. Hiroo Iwata, Hiroaki Yano ( Inst. for Enginering Mechanics, U. of Tsukuba ) Artificial Life in Haptic Virtual Environment ( no narration ) Artificial life is illustrated through the example: plant growth. Contents: Examples of growth and reversal of plants Examples of modified ramification frequency branching Chopping off branches by user 3. Juli Yamashita, Yukio Fukui ( Nat'l Inst. Bioscience and Human Technology, AIST, MITI ) A Direct Deformation Method of Free Forms for CAD Interface ( narration by Japanese female ) The clip shows how DDM methods and tools may be used by direct manipulation, freeing the user from mathematical details. Close-up/zoom and reduction features are also demonstrated. Future work on DDM + 3D input devices is discussed using a 3-D wire-mesh graph. ( Note: Same system appears in VR '93 video ) 4. Masahiro Ishii, Makoto Sato ( Precision and Intelligence Lab., Tokyo Inst. of Technology ) A 3D Interface Device with Force Feedback for Pick-and-Place Tasks ( narration by Indian male ) The SPIDAR systems are shown. ( Note: Same system appears in VR '93 video ) 5. Martin Buss, Hideki Hashimoto ( Inst. of Industrial Science, U. of Tokyo ) Intelligent Cooperative Manipulation Using Dynamic Force Simulator ( narration by Japanese female ) Shows how robot hand is trained in two phases: 1. Skill acquisition phase: a human manipulates a hand with sensors and the movements are recorded. 2. Skill transfer phase: the movements recorded in phase 1 are transferred to a robotic hand. The results appear on a CG screen. Virtual Reality (VR) '93 Video: VR '93 consists of short interviews with professors managing the laboratory followed by narrations describing various tools in the labs. It is more of a tutorial and/or a show ( e.g. a Carl Sagan drama or NOVA episode ) than a scientific research document. There is no hard-copy documentation or even a pamphlet to accompany the tape. Again, at the risk of sounding overly critical and/or disrespectful, I noted that that most scientifically inclined viewers seemed to find the first few chapters of VR '93 to be excessively long, drawn-out and uninspiring, and many felt that the interesting material could have been covered in under 10 minutes, something to keep in mind when considering the purchase of this video. VR'93 is distributed by JTTAS and is expensive: 10,000 yen ( covers postage and delivery for domestic orders, i.e. within Japan. ) Details about costs for postage and handling for overseas orders may be discussed on a case-by-case basis via surface mail or FAX with Mr. Hara at: Japan Technology Transfer Association (JTTAS) 2-11-2 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100 Japan tel: 03-3597-8220, fax: 3597-8224 Please note that the JTTAS recently moved to a new location so that the address and numbers are different from those posted in a recent information bulletin by Dr. Kahaner ["vr-video.93", 25 May 1993]. Phone inquiries should be made in Japanese. If your inquiries elicit no response, please note that my experience: it took me 4 phone call and 3 fax promises over a 6 week period to obtain a copy of VR '93. I then received a double billing. Contents: Virtual Reality '93, Vol. 1 ( 30 minutes ) Introduction (00:00-00.30) Chapter 1 (00.30-06:43) Prof. Michitaka Hirose, Dept. of Mechano-Informatics, University of Tokyo Contents: introduction to VR devices, e.g. virtual dome, see-through HMDs, force feedback, air flow display, handling objects in virtual space Chapter 2 (06:44-11.12) Dr. Makoto Sato, Precision Machinery and Electronics, Tokyo Inst. of Technology SPIDAR, SPIDAR III, POWER SPIDAR systems are shown. ( Note: Same sytem appears in ICAT '93 video ) Chapter 3 (11.13-16:37) Dr. Hiroo Iwata Inst. of Engineering Mechanics, Tsukuba University A desk-top and desk-side force display, a texture display, and a walk-through simulator are shown. It is puzzling that the walk- through system actually requires a person to walk on an exercise-type machine when a simpler device, e.g. a mouse could be used for input. ( Note: Hiroo contributed Haptic Life clip to ICAT '93 video ) Chapter 4 (16:38-21:04) Dr. Yukio Fukui Info. Factors Lab, Human Environment Systems Dept., AIST, MITI A force-feedback device using an XY recorder, a system for direct manipulation of form & curved lines and surfaces, a multi-modal integrative mouse, and sensor glove are shown. Chapter 5 (21.05-30:00) RCAST, University of Tokyo Contents: a clip on a tele-existence mater-slave system a clip on tele-existence in a virtual environment ( Note: Same system as in ICAT '93 video, same example with egg. ) 4. Impressions and Tidbits on the Conference. True to its title, the the two topics which dominated the conference were: 1. Virtual Reality and 2. Tele-existence. Most of the material could be classified as either software or hardware ( robot, input or display ). The Tele-existence category pretty much equalled Tachi's work. The video clips are indispensible for fully appreciating the research at RCAST. Regarding the hardware: the input device category was dominated by the Japanese with their haptic, camera and wand devices. Again, they are best described through their video clips rather than by text. Unfortunately, one which does not appear is the wand, a magic device which allows the user to create a world with a flick of a switch. A poetic researcher commented, "wand-do de pick-ku shite, VR no sekai ni ire-te-iku". In the display category, three head-mounts were presented: EyeGen3, SONY Vizer Tron, and Olympus. All claimed to have 370,000 pixels and a 30-degree view range. I only received feedback on the EyeGen3 and SONY devices. The 30-degree angle seems to be too small to give the user a feeling of being immersed in a different world. The EyeGen3 system had a poor screen image and was slow in reacting to move- ments. SONY VT had a better screen image and faster response time. CMU's Distributed VR presentation was appreciated by the Japanese as a realistic and inexpensive idea. ATR presented an interesting Virtual Space Teleconferencing System ( all Japanese Denki-makers seem to be developing or trying to develop one ). Ellis's investigations on the head movements ( 3-degrees of freedom with a 60-degree range ) inspired some interesting informal discussions after the conference. Will the results of the study only be relevant to Americans ? Are there body-size, cultural or racial differences in movements ? Harashima's work on facial expressions was also well received, even by some skeptic-types. Although the hardware experts revealed a number of interesting tools and gadgets, software undoubtedly stole the show. Michael Zyda's real-time graphics game dazzled attendees, including our local graphics experts at IBM. For those lucky graphics and war game buffs who plan to attend this summer's SIGGRAPH, rumour has it that Zyda will have a demo booth in sunny Anaheim. The game lives in a set of high end Silicon Graphics Systems and allows up to 500 players to shoot at each other. Here in Japan, where unusually high proportions of children and adults love amusement parks, pachinko parlors and video games, it was not surprising that a heated discussion on business opportunities with a modified version of Zyda's system began during a coffee break. One clever Japanese corporate manager noted that the profits from a DOD start-up venture might be used to eliminate the U.S. deficit. Discussion about the game also inspired scientists to dream up new approaches to many new problems for connecting 10,000 players ( or more ! ) in one system. For instance, the development of an efficient message passing mechanism and space alone poses challenging new questions. Seamless, or real-time display without delay or hesitation poses another challenge. Panel Discussion: ( with Ellis, Hirose, Tachi, Zyda, Iwata ) Listed below are some tidbits from attendees. Ellis commented that VR is not a completely new subject; studies on the relationships between man and machine have been developing over many years. Costs and benefits of VR technologies will undoubtedly influence and will be influenced by potential applications. Hirose commented that the introduction of powerful and inexpensive systems, such as the $5,000 IRIS system to be introduced mext month in Japan, will open new doorways of imagination. Young and small users will likely conjure up breathtakingly new and innovative applications. Zyda's game as well as administrative abilities impressed one attendee who noted that Zyda serves on the National Academy of Sciences commitee on Virtual Reality. His key words: Hypermedia, Info. Node and Warp also seem to have caught people's imagination. Perhaps the Japanese are all too familiar with Iwata and Tachi to have been left with a powerful new impression after the panel discussion. An interview with a foreign attendee would undoubtedly have given an interesting and different view of the same panel discussion.
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- ICAT '93 - the third International Conference on Artificial reality and Tele-existence July 6-7, 1993, Tokyo, Japan. David Farber (Jul 28)