Dear Lori,

In general, VR glasses are unlikely to be a satisfactory solution for your exhibition.
I'm assuming you're referring to goggles that have two small LCD displays, one for
each eye, which present  left-eye and right-eye views of the scene. These headsets
are often called Head-Mounted Displays. Such devices that have good image quality
are extremely expensive and not museum-durable. They're good for certain military
and flight training applications, and some phobia treatments. More reasonably priced
headsets have poor image quality, but are still just as breakable.

But cost and image quality aren't the only hurdles. Others include: narrow
horizontal field of view (not at all similar to a rider's experience); very slow visitor
throughput; constant sanitation vigilance; high maintenance in general; and did I
mention the fragility?  To see the only system I know of in long-term public use, go
to DisneyQuest in Orlando. It's a fine system but price was no object. You put on a
rigid plastic cap that the expensive display part snaps onto, and the caps are
sanitized frequently, probably after each using. Disney did not expect to make
a profit from DisneyQuest, but had to maintain the image quality we all expect
of a Disney animation, so their Aladdin VR ride is a good benchmark for you.

No entertainment venture that tried to use VR headsets/glasses has ever
succeeded. After the initial interest, attendance tapered off pretty quickly and
maintenance and headset replacement were high. Today's home TVs are so
good that a reasonably priced VR headset system would be a disappointing
experience for many visitors.

Your exhibit would likely be better off with a projection system.  I'd consider an
"elumens" model V3 VisionDome (they aren't like planetariums).  A lower-cost,
lower-throughput system is their VisionStation, which is still far speedier than a
headset. These systems have no sanitation issues and much lower maintenance
than headsets, too. I imagine you already have a film or video shot from a helmet
cam of a jockey. I'd want multichannel audio recorded during that film, if available.
I'd suggest adding a subwoofer in the seat of each chair--they're not expensive.
One reliable device for this is the Buttkicker LFE.

I've been involved in interface design, VR, and exhibit design for quite a while and
would be surprised to encounter a museum exhibit for which a head-mounted VR
display is a cost-effective long-term choice.

Best of luck,

Clark Dodsworth
Osage Associates
www.osage1.com
[log in to unmask]
(415) 567-7711

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).