The objective of this proposal is to evaluate 128-bit game consoles like Sony PS2 and Microsoft Xbox for applications involving visualization, simulation and navigation ofcomplex datasets. It will include evaluating the programming environments, memory capabilities in terms of dynamic paging and out-of-core datasets, developing multi-passvisibility algorithms and geometric algorithms like collision detection and robot motion planning. If successful, the resulting system will be used for interactive displayof complex datasets as well as navigation through complex environments and using them as robot controllers for mobile platforms. During the intermediate stages and at the endof Phase I, we will submit reports that evaluate the capabilities of Sony PS2 and Microsoft X-box as well as demonstrate the performance of our rendering system on relatively complex datasets. There are a number of applications of the research goals highlighted in this proposal. Many applications including battlefield visualization, computer-aided design, virtual prototyping, simulators and games involve dealing with complex dataset. It is a major challenge to display, navigate or perform dynamic simulations at interactive rates. Given the low cost and very high graphics processing power of these consoles, it makes them very attractive platforms for these applications. Furthermore, in the future it may be possible to take tens (or even hundreds) of these consoles to handle some extremely large datasets. The recent demonstration of GSCube with 16 PS2 has shown the potential of these consoles for high-speed digital graphics creation and transmission over high-end broadband servers.
Keywords: Battlespace Visualization; 128 Game Consoles; Interactive Rendering; Multi-Resolution Methods; Navigation; Robot Controller; Dynamic Simulation
