I just come back from the Intuition 2005 workshop, and it was really great!
I met a lot of interesting people and learned tons of things =)

Here’s a rough transcription of some interesting quotes.

S.R Elis, Nasa :
– There has been 20 years of VR research, 10 years of VR apps, and 5 years of VR in the industry
– in 84 Nasa began investigating VR, and the Europe waited 10 more years and began in 95 !!
– internet began much later but is now already omnipresent!

• Best Practices and threads in VR applications – Development Guidelines

M. Gervautz, Imagination :
– First Augmented Reality app was developped in 1860 by M. Pepper for theater.
– a web interface is boring in a museum, VR is more interesting
– Image processing for hand tracking is enough and stable enough for a museum use!

F. Kleinermann, Vrije Univ :
– tools for VR are not designed for non-VR experts
– the use of VEs is difficult

N. Tsingos, replacing G. Drettakis, Inria
– VR apps can be a strong driving force for CG&3d sound research

N. Pares, UPF
– we have to create applications specific to VR, not usable without VR
– in non interactive media, author/director rules. in interactive media, user rules.
– we can design application backwards; the usual design strategy : content driven
but we can also have an interaction driven strategy. this is useful when the author wants the user to live and act
or when the content is not known (see autists interacting with blocs)

Josephine Anstey, replacing D. Pape, SnB collaborative visualization
– I see VR as a *media*
– Caves are unmovable and expensive. people don’t want to move, want a system near their office!
– VEs will be made by teams, like game and movies, but for now they are one man made.

• Tools & Methods in VR

Carolina Cruz Neira, Infiscape
– We need to see VR from a business perspective
– we are way past demos, at a point where VR solves problems
– people need to be aware of the high cost of *running* and *maintaining* a VR facility
– VR provides an excellent tool for communication (virtual prototypes)
– VR enables an active design phase, in opposition to reactive, when a product is delivered and then customers comment, and the return to design phase. we don’t have to wait for real prototypes or real products for users to test and react, we can have virtual mockups/prototypes, cheaper and faster to create.

-> VR accelerates product development

– VR could reduce unnecessary travel time

Challenges :
– Industries often dont’t have in-house VR expertise, so don’t think about it
– the migration of existing tools needs to be considered
– no continuity for existing VR apps, they don’t have a long life

– John Deere has 22 VR facilities and will soon have 10 more. They use it for virtual prototyping, they have immersive collaboration tools to analyze and evaluate products. They say VR reduces cost of product delivery, enables more innovation and enables early customer review.
– Procter&Gamble is also a big VR client

A. Roessler, IC IDO
– 80% of our customers are first time VR users
– 80% of potential customers do not consider VR, so there is little demand
– VR value ($$$) is proven. The return on investment is between 6 to 9 months

C. Karrasch, RTT
– Mini (cars) has become a leading brand in the field of virtual design.
– Other users : BMW, Toyota, GM europe, Opel, Adidas

D. Nahon, Virtools
– VR means new UI paradigms
– VR for All !

• Frontiers for VR

M. Fontana, Percro : Trends in Haptics
– portable haptics allows only light forces
– whole body haptics
– challenges : walking without displacement, with vestibular feedback
– fingertips

• Opportunities and needs for VR – Industrial needs

R. Schirra, Bosch : Production planning
– use vr in much earlier planning phase
– the future goal is to make everything from design to analysis in VR

N. Chevassus, EADS : VR in Aerospace
– VR is a way to merge static and dynamic mockups, and enable transdisciplinary communication
– needs : realism, virtual humans, eyes tracking, markless hand tracking, AR, realistic behaviors (visual/physical/ergonomy)

P. David, SNCF (french railways)
– 1995, first state of the art
– 1996, first app.
– already used for training, signing scheme in train station test, marketing, design, communication, architecture and scientific data viz.
– simulators will train 10’000 users
– needs : 3d models (content), the return of HMDs

P. Nomine, CEA
– need interactivity (fast processing)
– need large displays
– need for perceptual studies: display less but more relevant info
– need for better selection/manipulation
– need for haptics