My favorite guest lecturer thus far has to be Tom Furness probably because I have always been fascinate by virtual images and augmented reality. After his presentation, I started thinking about all of the ways that virtual images could be used in scientific research. Right now in my research project, I am trying to figure out the structure of a HIV RNA hairpin when it is bound to a potential drug target. What if I could have a projected virtual 3-D model that I could manipulate physically? It would be just like in Iron Man when Tony Stark was using his nifty virtual technology to design the suit. Then, I would able to display the model at symposiums or conferences.
Tom Furness also talked a lot about his fighter jet cockpit designs and target tracking mechanisms. It would be so cool to sit in a chair on the ground and control an airplane in the sky via eye movements, head movements, and thought processes. This would enable the military to conduct longer missions and avoid risking human lives in especially dangerous cases. Of course, I am not saying that human pilots should be replaced. I still think that if the pilot is actually in the airplane, he/she would have faster and better responses.
I also really want to do something related to virtual reality or augmented reality with the final project. Perhaps it could be a game like Yu-Gi-Oh and you would be able to see 3-D images on top of the cards when you use a webcam or headset. Pattern recognition technology already exists and you can download the programs, so it wouldn’t be hard to make a prototype.
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