AlloSphere explained
The AlloSphere is a research facility in a theatre-like pavilion in a spherical shape, of opaque material, used to project computer-generated imagery and sounds. Included are GIS, scientific, artistic, and other information.[1] Located at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) the AlloSphere grew out of the schools of electrical engineering and computer science, and the Media Arts & Technology program at UCSB.[2]
The AlloSphere is housed at UCSB California NanoSystems Institute[3] building, "CNSI," or Elings Hall, a 62000square feet facility that opened in 2007.[4] The AlloSphere is intended to integrate technology and media.[5]
The AlloSphere includes a three-story cube that has been insulated extensively with sound-absorbing material, making it one of the largest echo-less chambers in the world. Within the chamber are two hemispheres of 5 meter radii, made of perforated aluminum. These are opaque and acoustically transparent.[6]
There are 26 video projectors, to create as much of a field of vision as possible.
The loudspeaker real-time sound synthesis cluster (140 individual speaker elements plus sub-woofers) is suspended behind the aluminum screen resulting in 3-D audio. Computation clusters include simulation, sensor-array processing, real-time video processing for motion-capture and visual computing, render-farm/real-time ray-tracing and radiosity cluster, and content and prototyping environments.
The AlloSphere was developed by a team of scientists, led primarily by Professor JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, a professor in the field of Composition, of the Media Arts & Technology Program of UCSB.
Selected publications
- The AlloSphere Offers an Interactive Experience of Nano-sized Worlds https://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=121535&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1
- Research at the AlloSphere Facility https://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/mmg_disp.jsp?med_id=73444
- Equipping the AlloSphere, an Environment for Immersive Data Exploration https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0855279
- Big Data's People-Changing Machine https://www.forbes.com/sites/quentinhardy/2011/07/11/big-datas-people-changing-machine/
- Marriage of Science & Art https://web.archive.org/web/20160302151948/http://www.ucsbalum.com/Coastlines/2011/Summer/feature_allosphere.html
- Living Data: The Three-Story-High AlloSphere Creates Unique Visualizations http://www.technologyreview.com/photoessay/420413/living-data/
- Sensory Overloader: 3-D Tower Lets Researchers Climb Inside Their Data https://www.wired.com/2010/05/st_allosphere/?pid=2039
- A 360-Degree Virtual Reality Chamber Brings Researchers Face to Face with Their Data https://www.wired.com/2010/05/st_allosphere/?pid=2039
- Enter the AlloSphere: Inside UCSB's Three-Dimensional Immersive Theater, the 21st Century Face of Our Discipline-Bending University http://www.independent.com/news/2008/nov/06/enter-allosphere/
External links
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Notes and References
- Web site: The AlloSphere Offers an Interactive Experience of Nano-sized Worlds NSF - National Science Foundation. www.nsf.gov. 2015-09-02.
- Web site: JoAnn Kuchera-Morin: Stunning Data Visualization in the AlloSphere - Blog. 2015-09-02.
- Web site: California NanoSystems Institute UC Santa Barbara. www.cnsi.ucsb.edu. 2015-09-02.
- Web site: UC Santa Barbara Engineering Facts Brochure . August 2007 . September 2, 2015 . UCSB College of Engineering . UCSB College of Engineering . Van De Werfhorst . Melissa . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045938/http://engineering.ucsb.edu/pdf/facts_august2007_final.pdf . March 4, 2016 .
- Web site: Marriage of Science and Art. www.ucsbalum.com. 2015-09-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20160302151948/http://www.ucsbalum.com/Coastlines/2011/Summer/feature_allosphere.html. 2016-03-02. dead.
- Web site: The AlloSphere at the California NanoSystems Institute, UC Santa Barbara. www.allosphere.ucsb.edu. 2015-09-02.
