[From This Is Bristol (“At the Heart of All Things Local”)]

Bristol historians give the old world a Second Life

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Back in 1854, the life-sized replica of a Pompeian villa was one of the highlights for visitors to the newly-reopened Crystal Palace.

Victorian thrill-seekers gazed in awe at the interactivity of the exhibit – though of course, they probably didn’t use the word “interactivity”.

Four years after the Crystal Palace had attracted crowds for The Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, it was rebuilt as an ultra-modern museum in Sydenham, south London, with a series of life-sized models of ancient landscapes.

When Dr Shelley Hales of the department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Bristol wanted to revive the spirit of the great Victorian “palace of learning”, she couldn’t simply rebuild the replica villa for real – the Crystal Palace was engulfed by fire and destroyed in 1936.… read more. “Bristol historians give the old world a Second Life”

[From The Daily Mail]

The 3D TV? It’s quite a spectacle, but how do they work – and are they worth the £1,000 price tag?

By Robert Hardman
Last updated at 10:28 AM on 18th January 2010

You’re walking past a pub and a mighty roar erupts. A crucial goal has obviously gone in, so you pop your head inside to catch the replay on television.

But it’s not the sporting action that catches your eye. You suddenly wonder if you have wandered into a bad dream. The entire pub appears to be full of sun-worshippers and Bono clones.

Just like the Irish singer, everyone is wearing clunky, dark-tinted glasses, even though it’s night-time and we are indoors.

Without the glasses, however, no one would be able to see the screen. It would be a blur. Stick on your magic Bono shades and everything changes in an instant.… read more. “Spectacle and value of 3D TV in UK pubs and beyond”

[From The Guardian]

Virtual reality is coming of age

If you want evidence of how virtual worlds are breaking into the mainstream, look at how commerce is taking hold within them

Alexander Walters, guardian.co.uk, Thursday 31 December 2009

I’m standing outside a branch of Diesel and a colourfully dressed man is dancing the robot in front of me like Peter Crouch on steroids. Browsing through the items on offer in the window, I spot a pair of jeans that I like the look of. The price tag says £1.59. A licensed, authorised, branded pair of Diesel jeans for £1.59. The only catch is that they’re made of pixels, not denim, and they belong in a fictional universe that could be the future of advertising, social networking and gaming combined. Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of PlayStation Home.

The concept of PlayStation Home is simple.… read more. “Virtual worlds are breaking into the mainstream”

[From BBC News; a 1:39 video is here]

Welsh ‘super-needle’ to aid pin-hole surgery training

Hywel Griffiths
BBC Wales health correspondent
Wednesday, 30 December 2009

Virtual 3D patients could be used to train staff in pin-hole surgery, thanks to work at Bangor University.

The ImaGINe-S simulator uses similar technology as computer games to recreate the feeling of guiding a surgical needle into the body.

The device has already been awarded an European prize for the use of computer graphics in medicine.

The team hope to see it introduced as a training tool within the health service over the next few years.

“What we’re trying to do is create a virtual patient that a doctor or nurse can practice on,” explained Prof Nigel John from the university’s School of Computer Science.

“Rather than them having to practice on you or me, they can have a virtual patient that doesn’t scream too much, to work out how to do a procedure.”… read more. “Virtual 3D patients used to train staff in pin-hole surgery”

[From Indiana Unversity School of Medicine]

January 12, 2010

Virtual Reality Tele-rehab Improves Hand Function: Playing Games for Real Recovery

INDIANAPOLIS — Remotely monitored in-home virtual reality videogames improved hand function and forearm bone health in teens with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, helping them perform activities of daily living such as eating, dressing, cooking, and other tasks for which two hands are needed.

“While these initial encouraging results were in teens with limited hand and arm function due to perinatal brain injury, we suspect using these games could similarly benefit individuals with other illness that affect movement, such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, arthritis and even those with orthopedic injuries affecting the arm or hand,” said Meredith R. Golomb, M.D, M.Sc., Indiana University School of Medicine associate professor of neurology. A pediatric neurologist at Riley Hospital for Children, she is the first author of a pilot study which reported on the rehabilitative benefits of these custom videogames.… read more. “VR tele-rehab improves hand function: Playing games for real recovery”