Grad students show off tech at conference
Kyle Ferguson
Graduate students are working with the latest technology to show off their accomplishments at the Emerging Technology Conference on Friday at Howe Hall.
"This event is all about the Virtual Reality Applications Center," said Levi Swartzentruber, graduate student in mechanical engineering. "We're showing off the projects we've been working on for so long."
A variety of intriguing and technologically advanced projects were on display in the VRAC. Some notable demos were the Medical Data project and the Amazing Universe demo, which was a crowd favorite.
The Amazing Universe demo portrayed a fictional universe, including an asteroid belt - a cutting-edge concept backed by superior technology. The entrance to the C6 virtual lab was never without a line of people waiting to get in and tour this other world.
"This isn't something we did for us," said Brandon Newendorp, graduate student in mechanical engineering. "The goal was really to showcase the C6."
The C6 was recently upgraded to display more than 1 million pixels on each side of the small room, making it the highest resolution virtual reality lab in the country.
Newendorp and his partner, Christian Noon, graduate student in mechanical engineering, packed a significant amount of work into a short time to create their technical demo.
"We did this in a couple of weeks," Noon said. "But we both have a lot of background with the applications used to make this, and those few weeks were filled with 12-hour days. Something like this usually takes six to seven weeks."
Although some might see demos like these as simple three-dimensional fantasies, some people in the corporate world take these projects very seriously.
"Most of the demos that were shown today, they have research grants backing them up," Newendorp said.
The Medical Data project's goal is to assist doctors and surgeons by condensing multiple X-ray images and medical scans into a three-dimensional image that doctors can manipulate to assist in surgeries.
This would help in analyzing the exact dimensions of objects to be removed, such tumors, and assist in the placement of orthoscopic cameras to aid in surgery.
"Each project is at varying stages, but the medical application is nearing completion," Swartzentruber said. "They're in the process of commercializing it now. Other projects, the concepts are there, but the technology isn't at the same level."
Terms Of Use
In order to facilitate fair and focused discussion, the Iowa State Daily requires that all participants adhere to the following forum rules. All user feedback will be posted immediately upon submission and will be monitored by the user community. Forum participants are encouraged to report any feedback that does not comply with the rules. Although the Daily reserves the right to remove posts and/or block users if these rules are violated, the staff will not be actively involved in an approval or review process. These terms of use may be modified at any time without notice, and such modifications shall be effective immediately.
All letters to the editor, whether submitted to the online edition or the print edition, and all online story feedback become the property of the Iowa State Daily and may be used in print editions and online editions of the Iowa State Daily. The Daily archives all of its content, which is accessible to readers at any time. Anonymous letters will not be accepted. Names may be withheld for good cause upon request at the sole discretion of the Daily. Letters may be edited for style, space, clarity and accuracy.
In submitting feedback, you are representing and agreeing that:
Be the first to comment on this story