Design of a virtual reality laboratory for interdisciplinary medical application

The Department of Medical Informatics of the University of Goettingen sets up a medical interdisciplinary Virtual Reality (VR) laboratory. The interdisciplinary approach for the design of the laboratory is based on a systematic, technical and application-orientated analysis. Its result led to the decision for a CAVE-like multi wall stereo projection (MWSP) system with networked workstation hardware. Within the boundary of an exemplary evaluation of the laboratory, its technical specifications and the validity in neuropsychological tests are supposed to be improved. Both techniques, Head Mounted Display (HMD) as well as multi wall stereo projection (MWSP) systems have a high degree of immersion. MWSP systems have a lower ratio of simulator sickness and a good visual fidelity. They can also be used as a multi-user environment. Networked workstations and high-end-computers are compared in view of their costs and possible expansibility.