Augmenting the CAVE: An Initial Study into Close Focused, Inward Looking, Exploration in IPT Systems

CAVE-like Immersive Projection Technologies (IPT) systems have long been used to explore complex 3D geometric data sets. While this approach works well for many activity types, there are a class of activities that remain challenging within these environments. When virtual objects are brought into close proximity to the user (denoted by a virtual distance of less than that between the user and the projection surface) the users inability to perceive fine detail and effectively explore around an object from an inward looking perspective becomes apparent. This research presents and evaluates the introduction of an augmented viewing device into a traditional CAVE-like IPT system. This has been accomplished by integrating a tracked tablet PC device that offers a multi modal interface for both user position referenced micro/macroscopic viewing and alternate interaction inputs as part of a distributed augmented CAVE-like IPT system.