Issue: Volume: 23 Issue: 1 (January 2000)

Spotlight: Fakespace Intros New Look for Big Displays



RAVE comprises a series of self-contained stereoscopic display modules that can be used independently or grouped to create any number of wall and room-like configurations. Each module is 12 feet deep and contains one or more projectors and a 10-by-9.5-foot rigid, rear-projected screen. A standard module incorporates an Electrohome Limited Marquee 9500 Ultra CRT projector. However, a system of adjustable mirrors and lenses accommodates a variety of projectors, including two placed side by side for passive stereo viewing. Integrated motion-tracking capabilities are optional. The display screens are mounted in the individual units without frames, so that when the modules, which rest on casters, are pushed together, the screen edges blend nearly seamlessly. An enhanced RAVE module includes an additional projector mounted near the top of the screen and a retractable mirror system to enable floor projection.




According to Robert Gurulé, team leader for Graphics and Visualization at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where a four-module system is scheduled for installation early next year, "The RAVE represents a paradigm shift. We can configure it to create two coves, a 40-foot powerwall, or a four-walled room for total immersion, so we can get inside of our data."

RAVE prices will vary depending on the configuration. The price for individual modules ranges from $125,000 to $195,000. (Fakespace Systems; Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; 519-749-3339; www.fakespace.com)
-Diana Phillips Mahoney