From PIERRE@division.demon.co.uk Thu Nov 17 23:37:33 1994 Return-Path: Received: from mx5.u.washington.edu by stein2.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW94.10/UW-NDC Revision: 2.32 ) id AA09053; Thu, 17 Nov 94 23:37:33 -0800 Received: from post.demon.co.uk by mx5.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW94.10/UW-NDC Revision: 2.31 ) id AA23655; Thu, 17 Nov 94 23:37:30 -0800 Received: from division.demon.co.uk by post.demon.co.uk id aa21601; 18 Nov 94 7:31 GMT Received: from charon.division.demon.co.uk by division.demon.co.uk (AIX 3.2/UCB 5.64/4.03) id AA16075; Fri, 18 Nov 1994 01:00:25 GMT Received: From GEORGE/WORKQUEUE by charon.division.demon.co.uk via Charon-4.0-VROOM with IPX id 100.941118005224.288; 18 Nov 94 00:49:07 +500 Message-Id: From: Pierre duPont To: ukvrsig@mailbase.ac.uk, diderot@hitl.washington.edu, pcmike@aol.com, avatarp@well.sf.ca.us, scivw@u.washington.edu, scivwa@media.mit.edu, PCVR@fullfeed.com, sgerencser@delphi.com, 100071.116@compuserve.com, stearman@world.std.com, kaugust@caip.rutgers.edu Date: Fri, 18 Nov 1994 00:52:18 BST Subject: Press Release from Division about US Army Application Reply-To: schiffd@division.com, dupontp@division.demon.co.uk X-Mailer: Pegasus Mail/Windows (v1.11a) Priority: A Status: OR US Army Research Laboratory uses Division's VR tools to develop new military technology Chapel Hill, NC - 14 November, 1994 -- The U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) in Aberdeen, Maryland, is using virtual reality (VR) technology from Division to develop a ground-simulation system for testing new weapons and equipment. The objective is to evaluate and refine equipment designs prior to developing physical prototypes. When the simulation system is fully developed, infantry teams will be able to fight simulated battles using weapons and defense technologies that have not yet been built. An infantry team assigned to a new anti-tank weapon, for example, will be able to square off against a tank crew operating tomorrow's version of the M1 Abram tank. The lessons learned will be applied to improve both equipment designs and operating procedures. Division and ARL have developed this application using dVISE, an interactive authoring tool for creating virtual worlds. The system is driven by dVS, Division's virtual world operating environment, and a Silicon Graphics Onyx computer. The virtual environment includes both city and country scenes complete with enemy tanks and paratroopers. A high-resolution head-mounted display allows the user to become immersed in a realistic landscape. The variable resistance of a stair stepper simulates different types of terrain. The user is armed with virtual semi-automatic and anti-tank weapons that are controlled by a hand-held 3D mouse. As the user moves through the environment, he/she responds to enemy attacks. Three-dimensional sound is used to heighten the realism. The current application is part of an on-going development project. ARL's project team is working with Division to create multi-user environments in which equipment will be tested and manipulated interactively. "We want to be able to incorporate a variety of weapons and equipment into an environment in order to run virtual field tests based on real-world data," says Virginia Kaste, a computer scientist with ARL. ARL and Division have been working to make the system responsive to engineering and technical variables that will affect equipment performance. How, for example, do researchers simulate the effects of armor-piercing ammunition based on variables such as distance and speed at impact -- all within a real-time simulation? "We are in the early stages of developing the advanced features of the simulation, but we are beginning to get a handle on the complex computations needed to manage the databases involved," says Kaste. "Division's software is providing us with the flexibility we need to further develop the application." "ARL's application is pushing the envelope of VR," says Doug Schiff, vice president of marketing for Division Incorporated, Division's US headquarters in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. "Ground simulations are much more complex than most flight simulations. A realistic infantry simulation requires more textures, a greater variety of scenery, and a wider range of activities that must be tracked, processed and displayed in real time." ----------- Division offers complete virtual reality solutions. Integrated VR systems are available for Silicon Graphics and Hewlett-Packard workstations. Division also offers its own ProVision systems based on the University of North Carolina's Pixel-Planes(tm) technology. Division has US offices in Chapel Hill, NC, San Diego, CA, and Redwood City, CA, as well as offices and distributors in Europe and worldwide. Division services a worldwide installed base of integrated VR systems for professional applications. Prominent Division customers include Gulfstream, McDonnell Douglas, NASA, Nynex, British Aerospace, the US Army, Glaxo, Matsushita, GEC, British Telecommunications, GTE, Sandia National Laboratories and the Ministry of Defense. The shares of Division Group plc are traded on the London Stock Exchange. ---------- Photographs are available upon request Contact: Doug Schiff, VP of Marketing, Division Inc. +1 919 968-7797 Pierre duPont, Marketing Director, Division Ltd. +44 454 615554 ============================================================= email: dupontp@division.demon.co.uk Pierre duPont phone: +44 454 615554 Marketing Director fax: +44 454 615532 Division Limited 19 Apex Court, Woodlands, Almondsbury, Bristol BS12 4JT UK