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This paper describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of the CABIN immersive multiscreen display. CABIN consists of five screens that surround users, and one of the five, the floor screen, is made of tempered glass able to support the users' weight. In CABIN, computer graphics images and video images can be projected. By using a five‐screen configuration, the user is able to look at three‐dimensional objects from various directions, as well as look around a wide area of the virtual world. A quantitative evaluation showed that multiple screens are indispensable to support a large area of viewpoint change for the purpose of displaying three‐dimensional objects. In addition, distortion of the generated virtual space was evaluated. From the experimental results, the user is able to perceive space accurately with little distortion when standing near the center of the display space. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Syst Comp Jpn, 30(1): 13–22, 1999

Immersive projection displays such as CABIN and COSMOS have been connected through the broad band network. This kind of network environment is expected to be used as a multimedia virtual laboratory. In particular, video avatar technology has been developed in order to realize high presence communication in this multimedia virtual laboratory. A video avatar is a computer-synthesized threedimensional image created using live video. This method has the characteristics of being a natural, accurate and convenient communication tool. In this study, communication capabilities of the video avatar were experimentally evaluated. In addition, the video avatar technology was applied to several communications applications, such as that of guiding colleagues and undertaking design work in networked immersive projection displays. As a national project aimed at sharing a high presence virtual world using these networked immersive projection displays, the multimedia virtual laboratory (MVL) project has been promoted by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in Japan. The multimedia virtual laboratory is a concept of linked network environments in which remote users can mutually communicate through the network as if they are in the same place. In order to realize the concept of the multimedia virtual laboratory, the construction of a high presence communication technology in the shared virtual world has been a key issue.The computer graphics avatar is often used as a communication method in the networked virtual world [4]. Though this method represents the three-dimensional user's figure in the virtual world, it is difficult to represent natural facial expressions using the polygon model. A method of using a previously captured facial texture image has also been proposed [5]. However, it is difficult to represent instantaneous facial expression by deforming the original image of the face. In order to represent a high presence image of the user, the development of avatar technology using a video image is desired [6].In the video conference system or associated communication systems such as ClearBoard[7], remote users can communicate face to face using their live video images. However, we cannot say that they are sharing a threedimensional world, because these systems only transmit twodimensional video images. In the InterSpace[8] or Virtual Human[9] systems, though a live video image is used to represent the avatar's face, its body is created using the polygon model. In the immersive projection displays, avatar technology using a full-length video image of the user would be effective.Therefore, in this study, a stereo video avatar was developed. This technology realizes high presence communication within the networked immersive projection display by transmitting three-dimensional information about the user, such as position and gestures, by using a live video. This paper describes the video avatar technology developed in this study, and the communication capabilities of this method.

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