A two-handed direct manipulation VE (virtual environment) interface has been developed as an intuitive manipulation metaphor for graphical objects. A new input device called ChordGloves introduces a simple technique for rapid and repeatable gesture recognition; the Chordgloves emulate a pair of 3-D mice and a keyboard. A drafting table is isomorphically mapped into the VE and provides hand support for 2-D interface techniques, as well as a reference frame for calibrating the mapping between real and virtual worlds. A cursor gravity function is used to grab vertices, edges, or faces and establish precisely aligned differential constraints between objects called anchors. The capability of subjects to translate, rotate, scale, align, and glue objects is tested with a puzzle building task. An approximation of the puzzle task is done in Adobe Illustrator to provide a performance reference. Results and informal user observations as well as topics for future work are presented.

An evolution of remote control puppetry systems is presented. These systems have been designed to provide high quality trainer to trainee communication in game scenarios containing multiple digital puppets with interaction occurring over long haul networks. The design requirements were to support dynamic switching of control between multiple puppets; suspension of disbelief when communicating through puppets; sensitivity to network bandwidth requirements; and as an affordable tool for professional interactive trainers (Interactors). The resulting system uses a novel pose blending solution guided by a scaled down desktop range motion capture controller as well as traditional button devices running on an standard game computer. This work incorporates aspects of motion capture, digital puppet design and rigging, game engines, networking, interactive performance, control devices and training.

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The Institute for Simulation and Training (IST) was created in 1984 by the University of Central Florida to provide research support to the U.S. Department of Defense in the area of simulation-based training. In 1989, IST's Visual Systems Laboratory (VSL) was inaugurated. Focal areas of research at VSL include distributed realtime physical simulation, interoperability among networked simulators, the application of virtual environments to education, training, and design, and head-mounted display technology. Section 1 describes the history of IST and VSL, and VSL's early projects. Section 2 surveys current research projects in three main areas: dynamic environments, interoperability, and virtual environments. Section 3 describes service and educational activities, and Section 4 provides insight into future research plans.

LOOKING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION POINTER:A human device abstraction is proposed as a way to promote development of commercial applications which apply advanced sensing and viewing technologies found in human computer interaction (HCI) research disciplines such as virtual and enhanced reality.As powerful as the pointer abstraction has been, it was originally conceived as a way to unify the devices commonly available at that time and is no longer capable of providing the same benefits of device for the rapidly growing set of higher bandwidth devices available today. A few simple enhanced reality examples are presented which show how human device compliant applications can be developed which are compatible with future sensor technology advancements and remain stable as these device configurations evolve and change over time.In pointer based development environments such as X/Motif, non-conforming devices are supported with device extension services using abstractions like "valuator" and "sensor". The state of a digitising tablet, for instance, might be represented as separate X and Y valuators or a generic electromagnetic tracker might support a numbered sequence of rigid body matrix sensors. While non-conforming devices are technically supported the relationship between sensors and resulting application interaction is left to individual developers to decide.