instantreality

450px-stihl_kettensaege.jpg image source wikipedia

The instantreality-framework is a high-performance Mixed-Reality (MR) system, which combines various components to provide a single and consistent interface for AR/VR developers. Those components have been developed at the Fraunhofer IGD and ZGDV in close cooperation with industrial partners.



The framework offers a comprehensive set of features to support classic Virtual Reality (VR) and advanced Augmented Reality (AR) equally well. The goal was to provide a very simple application interface while still including the latest research results in the fields of high-realistic rendering, 3D user interaction and total-immersive display technology.

The framework is still under development, here the release plan. It seems to support JAVA, which seems to make the inclusion of jreality in principle possible (if this is going to be opensource?).

A compelling application which uses instantreality is for example the project cybersaw.

From the description of the application:

Cutting Virtual Slices

The center of the simulation is a modified chainsaw serving as an interaction device. Motor and carburetor have been removed and replaced by electronics. There are LEDs at the guide bar for Tracking. Sensors have been integrated for the measurement of throttle and starter. Vibration motors are providing a realistic haptic simulation of the motor’s vibration.

The visualization consists of a projection showing a photorealistic view of a northern german farm with tractors, animals and plants. In the foreground of the scene there is a common sawhorse with a log of pinewood on it.

At the beginning the user sees and hears the farm scene. A tractor parks in the yard, cats are sitting in front of the door, in the background cows are lowing and birds are singing. The user raises the real chainsaw and starts it by pulling the starter. The silence is beeing replaced by the loud noise of the engine. The motor howls when the throttle is pulled.
The camera zooms on the sawhorse and a 3D model of the chainsaw moves over it analog to the real chainsaw’s movements in the user’s hands. As soon as the guide bar applies pressure on the tube and the chainsaw accelerates one sees how it saws into the virtual log and chips are flying around. After cutting through the log the resulting slize and its weight is presented on the projection screen.

->video of cybersaw.

Leave a Reply


The below box is for leaving comments. Interesting comments in german, french and russian will eventually be translated into english. If you write a comment you consent to our data protection practices as specified here. If your comment text is not too rude and if your URL is not clearly SPAM then both will be published after moderation. Your email adress will not be published. Moderation is done by hand and might take up to a couple of days.
you can use LaTeX in your math comments, by using the [latex] shortcode:
[latex] E = m c^2 [/latex]