Human factors in the design of an immersive display

In 1988 Fakespace began building a telepresence camera system for the Virtual Environment Workstation (View) project at NASA Ames Research Center. The complete system combined a teleoperated camera platform and 3D viewing system. Fakespace has installed descendents of this system for day-to-day use in environments ranging from research laboratories to office cubicles. By observing how people use image-generation and viewing technologies, we have evaluated the human factors involved in building and deploying effective immersive visualization systems. This article describes the application of these factors in the design of the Fakespace BOOM (Binocular Omni-Orientation Monitor). The Fakespace BOOM represents a class of immersive display devices known as counterbalanced displays. The choices that led to the design of this device apply to the design of many types of immersive displays.<>