Where Digital Meets Physical: Computer-based Distributed Collaborative Environments

Collaborative Virtual Environments are systems that transform computer networks into navigable and populated 3D spaces. Technological advances in optics and computer graphics, as well as the rapid development of network technology and distributed systems [8], open new doors for building effective distributed augmented reality systems. Such systems allow the development of interactive interfaces that will make space and time transparent for people located remotely, giving birth to new ways of interaction. This article presents a collaborative environment that is utilized as a test bed for interdisciplinary research in the Optical Diagnostics and Applications Laboratory (ODALab), co-located in the School of Optics and the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The system described uses augmented reality techniques to improve human-to-human interaction. Central to this approach is an infrastructure for distribution of three-dimensional objects shared by interested communities of users. This sharing within an augmented reality increases their communication capacity adding new dimensions to their collaborations.