[/img]
University of Southern California's Institute for Creative
Technologies has just moved into 72,000-square feet of shiny new
facilities in Playa Vista, California -- on the same grounds which
once served as the headquarters for Howard Hughes' aircraft company.
Funded by the US Army to develop virtual reality technology, the ICT's
work is now found on 65 military sites across the country. Before your
brain starts wandering towards thoughts of Call of Duty on military-
grade steroids though, keep in mind that much of the institute's
innovations revolve around simulating surrogate interactions with so-
called "virtual humans". For example, thanks to advanced AI language
programming, soldier patients projected on life size semi-transparent
screens help teach doctors about treating combat trauma, while virtual
Army personnel characters such as Sergeant Star can interact naturally
with soldiers in leadership training exercises.
Still, that shouldn't imply ITC doesn't dabble in good ole' fashion
combat simulation work. In fact, it's currently running a training
exercise on three military bases designed to prepare soldiers for an
insurgent ambush within a highly-realistic virtual town reconstructed
from satellite imagery. No, it may not sound as wild as robotic
exoskeletons, flying Humvees or ultrasound-based mind control, but it
does make your life on The Sims seem totally fake. To judge for
yourself, check out the video overview on the next page.
No comments:
Post a Comment