The Pacific Science Center in Seattle has a successful and popular VR station. It is placed within their TechZone permanent exhibit. They also have (had?) a virtual basketball game where the visitor played one on one basketball with the computer. Try contacting Ken Williams ([log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> ) or Paul Beck ([log in to unmask]) <mailto:[log in to unmask])> for more information. Alan Miller Photo Archivist/ Rights and Permissions Coordinator Seattle Art Museum [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Seattle Art Museum. -----Original Message----- From: Karl Zinn [SMTP:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 1998 8:49 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: VR (Virtural Reality) station as visitor draw for science museum What do you think of a small science museum using an inexpensive VR station to draw in visitors? More than that, do you know of situations in which such a station seems to accomplish some education? I have seen some portable VR setups used for demonstrations at conferences. One person wears the viewing helmet and sees the virtual world respond to head motion, etc. Others in the group only see the view on the monitors and talk with the one person afterwards about his or her experience. (I have also walked through a "cave" with the images projected on the walls responding to just one of us in the group.) In a university town the museum might get some help obtaining somewhat out of date equipment at modest prices and using software and applications from the university without additional cost. The station probably needs to be staffed, and one needs a way to deal with visitors waiting to try the experience first hand. The applications might be left over from reearch and student projects at the university, and include walking through buldings or parks not yet constructed (or inferred from archeological explorations), flying over distant terrain photographed by earth satellite or space voyager, traveling through a subsystem of the human body, exploring DNA and RNA, or whatever models are available for educational purposes. A changing program would give the science museum something to advertise which might draw in new visitors, and increase repeat visits. I assume the large screen theaters common in larger science museums serve a similar function but with much larger capital and space requirements. What do you think? Anyone know of specific instances of something like VR serving the educationl purposes of a science museum?