Vrac - Origins of VRAC

Origins of VRAC

VRAC began in 1990 as the Iowa Center for Emerging Manufacturing Technology (ICEMT) under the directorship of Dr. James Bernard, a faculty member in Mechanical Engineering. ICEMT was established within the Institute for Physical Research and Technology, a network of research and technology-transfer centers and industrial-outreach programs at Iowa State University. In 1992 ICEMT received its first VR-focused grant, a three year project from the Office of Naval Research, focused on virtual reality applications for manufacturing. In 1994 ICEMT began virtual prototyping research for John Deere, which remains VRAC's longest continuous industrial relationship. ICEMT constructed its first VR facility, a 12'x12' CAVE-like structure named the C2, in 1996 under the supervision of faculty member Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira, a faculty member in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. Starting in November 1999 ICEMT changed its name to the Virtual Reality Applications Center, moved into the newly constructed Engineering Teaching and Research Complex (ETRC) and started construction on a new VR facility known as the C6. In June 2000 the C6 officially opened as the world's first fully immersive 6-sided virtual reality facility with all wireless tracking, navigation, and control systems, and the first such system located in the United States. In 2003 Virtual Reality Applications Center expanded its mission by creating an interdepartmental graduate program known as Human Computer Interaction (HCI). In 2004 Dr. James Oliver, a faculty member in Mechanical Engineering, began his tenure as the VRAC Director. A technology refresh of the C6 in 2006 put the facility on the map as the highest resolution immersive environment of its kind with over 100 million pixels.