Source: NASA
The GRUVE (Glenn Reconfigurable User-Interface and Virtual Reality Exploration) Lab is located within the GVIS Lab. It is home to the CAVE, which is predominantly used for mission scenarios and to tour virtual environments of NASA facilities.
GRUVE allows multiple people to view a visualization in 3D together. These visualizations include 3D models of NASA facilities and intricate images created from collected data.
Powerful projectors and mirrors, in combination with an infrared motion tracking system and active-shutter glasses, allow viewers to view 3D models and data in perfect perspective. 3D models effectively pop off the screen and remain proportional no matter where the user with the pair of tracking glasses moves in the environment.
The CAVE can be driven by either a Windows or Linux computer system, enabling the team to use the best environment for a given problem and software tool.
The CAVE’s technology provides a unique advantage for researchers, scientists, engineers, and others. Seeing and analyzing forces and data that would otherwise not be viewable to the human eye allows the observer to understand their subject matter in more detail.
Benefits of GRUVE to research include:
Providing an immersive environment: with large screens to fill peripheral vision and stereoscopic projection for a real sense of three-dimensional space, more parts of the brain are engaged, and the user is better able to understand problems and solve them faster
More effective collaboration: the ability to see each other in the virtual reality environment makes GRUVE better for collaboration than traditional VR technology
Seeing complex data and flows in 3D: this makes it easier for both experts and non-experts to understand the data
Providing greater resolution and larger display size: this allows details to be displayed without losing their context
Delivering faster and more accurate manipulation and viewing of models, including CAD data, with fewer errors: this results in a faster time to market and less re-work
All members of NASA Glenn may use GRUVE for their projects.
Fluid dynamics analysis (CFD)
Point cloud data, e.g., LiDAR
Virtual design reviews
Virtual manufacturing testing
Computer Aided Design (CAD)
3D imaging data
Training and education
Virtual procedures
Biomedical research
Molecular dynamics
Virtual building walkthroughs
Showroom “theater”
Education and outreach
Building Information Management (BIM)
Big data and data mining
Cybersecurity data analysis
Safety systems analysis
Microfocus CT scan data
Electron microscopy
3D photos and videos
Point cloud data
Volume data
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
Computer Aided Design (CAD)
Molecular dynamics
Linux CAVE node
Windows 10 CAVE node
CAVE wall
Stereo glasses
Audio system
Tracking system
The Windows node attached to the GRUVE Lab runs middleware software, which enables Unity-developed applications to run in the CAVE. This greatly expands the number of VR applications that can be run.
Vrui VR Toolkit-based applications such as LiDAR viewer and 3D visualizer
VMD – Visual Molecular Dynamics
ParaView
COVISE– Collaborative Visualization and Simulation Environment
The GVIS Lab maintains a large collection of computing, visualization, and user interaction devices including:
Virtual reality display devices
Head-mounted displays
Room-scale CAVE
Augmented reality head-mounted displays
3D displays
Psuedo-3D displays
Pepper’s Ghost display
Persistence of Vision (POV) LED display
Light field technology- based displays
Projection devices for projected AR
Natural user interface devices
Hand gesture recognition devices
Motion capture devices
Cameras for mixed reality
Computing hardware
High-end laptops
High-end desktops
High-end tablets and smartphones
Stereo 3D camera
180/360 camera
Flight simulators
3D printers
All these devices are available for employees to try and test for possible application to their work.
Contact Us
Need to reach us? You can send an email directly to the GVIS Team (GRC-DL-GVIS@mail.nasa.gov) or to the team leader, Herb Schilling (hschilling@nasa.gov).